An International incident
by daveryship
Summary: For God and Country, Steve had pledged his life for that, and he has been able to serve with honor all this while. But this time, all may not be as it seems. And when he's caught in a game of diplomacy as a pawn, those who love him may very well have to show their most ugly sides to get him back. That is, if he ever comes back.- No slash please-ever. Just good o'l brotherly love.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1-It started with a phone call.**

 **Hey guys, here's another one. I hope you like and review.**

 **I have a beta now, yey! Shout out to my friend jedi4129! A big thank you! So, any mistakes are all mine.**

...

 **Have you ever wondered what marks our time here? If one life can really make an impact on the world… or if the choices we make matter? I believe they do. And I believe that one man can change many lives. For better… or worse. Lucas-OTH**

 **...**

They were all standing crowding the computer table as usual, when they had a case. This one was a good one. And they were about to catch their serial killer. At least they thought it was culminating to that. It was a big one and it had started in Hawaii so, of course, the Governor's elite task force was in on it.

Steve's phone rang at that moment and he took it out absently without taking his eyes from the screen where Eric was busy showing off his latest forensic findings.

"McGarrett."

Steve answered, his eyes still on the screen. He didn't even look at the caller ID and the others didn't pay him much attention as they were all glued to the screen.

"McGarett? It's Mayfield." A deep voice said on the other end. Steve froze.

The bad thing was, he paused for just a little too long for someone who had just received a mere phone call. Enough to cause attention.

"Steve?" The voice on the other end enquired.

Then Steve stuttered. "Uh…Uhm…Yeah…" Then he sighed.

Everything else would have been just easy to overlook. But the stuttering and the sighing? People had to notice. And what was more? Danny was standing next to him. Steve could see him pause and look up at him questioningly. Lou, Junior and Tani did too. The only one still engrossed with showcasing the bad-ass way he had got to the evidence to nail their serial killer was Eric. Happily yapping and typing away.

Steve turned away and walked into his office, closing the door.

"Uh... yes Sir… I'm still here." He said. He had to catch himself from saluting, but he still stood at rigid attention without realizing it.

"We have a situation McGarrett. Are you available Lt Commander?"

Steve knew that that question was just him being polite. When Mayfield called, you had to drop everything. That meant _EVERYTHING._

"Yes Sir." He answered, "Same meeting place?"

"The same. See you soon McGarrett."

"Yes Sir." McGarrett said, ending the conversation. He didn't notice that he had hunched his shoulders. He was leaning on his desk when Danny's voice startled him into the present.

"Steve?" Danny said, walking into his office. Steve wished he had given him a minute to catch his breath, before attacking him with 20 questions.

"Uh...yeah…what?"

"Everything ok?" Danny asked with concern.

"I…, yeah. I just got to step out for a minute Danny." Steve said, he was already walking towards the door.

Danny held out a hand to stall him. "Hold on a second, Steve. You don't look so good. What was all that about?"

"What was what about? It was just a phone call Danny, nothing to…"

"Nothing to worry about? Good then. You mind telling me what that phone call was about? Because your face fell Steve, and you froze." Danny held out his hand again to stall him. "And the highlight? Wait for it, you stuttered, Steve. So, forgive me if I don't believe that everything is all moonshine, like it was just a minute ago."

"Danny…I've gotta go. Ok? I'll explain later."

"You've gotta go? We're in the middle of a case, Steven."

"Hold the fort Danno. I gotta go." Steve didn't even wait a second longer, he just made it out of there without having to answer any more questions from him. God knew the guy could be persistent. Danny could read him like a book. And vise versa. Came from being very close friends on and off work, for years. More like identical brothers. Which wasn't always a good thing.

Steve walked out of the building to his truck, phone in hand, deleting the last received phone call. It was standard procedure with this kind of thing. Every trace had to go.

…

 **If you like, then i'll see you guys in a bit.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Haunted.**

 **Hey guys. I'm glad that you like. I hope you continue to like and review. Here's another one.**

 **Cheers.**

 **...**

 **A wise man once told me, 'family don't end in blood.' But it doesn't start there either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family is there, for the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts. That's family." (Dean quoting Bobby, spn.**

 **...**

Danny didn't feel right about Steve's actions lately. Since that day he got that weird call, two days ago actually, Steve h'd been acting strange. Cagey, serious and sometimes almost sad. He was absent minded most of the time. Almost as absent from work, and he refused to talk about it. No matter how much Danny nagged.

He was worried. He really wanted to know who had called Steve that day. Because that's when all this weird behavior started. And it wasn't Lynn who had called him like he had lied to him saying. Danny had let It go, then. But the fact that Steve had needed to lie to him using Lynn like that, well that just made him even more curious. And worried. Something weird was going on here, and not in a good way.

….

This was hard. Steve sat on his desk in his office late at night, thinking. He had thought it through and something didn't seem quite right. He had never felt this way before; this kind of doubt before a mission. His team had already been given all the details of the mission, at least what they needed to know. It was an important mission alright, and that meant dangerous. One he could not refuse, one he may likely not come back from.

Steve started thinking about that. About how he might not come back from this one. How this goodbye might be the final one. There had been very few missions he had gone to that were like this one, but he had never felt this huge weight on his shoulders before. This reluctance to leave. Maybe because he didn't have much of family when he had gone to those missions then. Had not felt like he had anything to lose.

Maybe he was just getting old for this. There was a reason for each and every man who had been selected for this mission. They were the best. And there was a reason why he was part of that group. Why he was the one leading them. He had always been reliably, expendable; so were these men. But some things had changed over the years, He had become human, hesitant. So, had some of these men. Some had families now, some had lives, and that should be a factor used in the team selection process. Apparently, they didn't use the same factor this time. Maybe, because they were the best of the best, specially selected by Mayfield himself. And unless one was dead, there was no escape from a mission like this. The real Black Ops team. Not just anyone could qualify to be in a team like this. Yeah, things had changed. What hadn't changed, unfortunately, was them. They were still the same killing machines they had been trained to be. They could always just switch to that mode, no matter how long that channel hadn't been used. And they would fight for God and Country without question.

However, Steve was not quite sure he was being asked to fight for God or Country this time. The details had been a little sketchy. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed it. Mayfield's attitude this time had been a little off, and some of the guys had noticed.

He remembered his conversation with Jack McCain just after their briefing. They had been friends when they were in the Navy together and had been on the black ops team together too. He was one of the bravest men he had ever served with, but right then the guy was in serious doubt.

"You know what man, I was sure glad to see you being a part of this team, McGarrett. I could not ask for a better man to lead us into enemy waters than you." He had said, and Steve had just smiled at him in appreciation. Steve hated this. Having to be responsible for these men's lives again, especially on a mission like this.

"Hey, did you notice anything strange with Mayfield? In the briefing?" McCain had asked.

"What do you mean?" Steve had noticed something, but he had dismissed it. Now, if someone else found it strange too, then it couldn't be a coincidence now, could it?

"I mean, Mayfield looked like he didn't want to be in that briefing man, what's up with that? I mean, a man like Mayfield, he doesn't show much on his face but this time, he just seemed…" McCain continued.

"Maybe he's just getting old, Jack. We all are. Things have changed." Steve said dismissively. Trying to keep the faith and resolve of his team intact. It was typical for anyone of them to go into doubt mode before a mission like this. Much like he was doing himself right then. It was just nerves and it had been too long. Nerves were getting the better of them. Weird though, his old self would be half excited about this mission, it was dangerous enough.

"I wrote my will and made sure I had my things in order before I leave. When I got that call from Mayfield the other day, l just knew that I might not be so lucky again this time. I don't know man, I got a family now, I have a kid." He said, reaching into his pocket to take out a picture of a smiling little girl. "Take a look at my little girl. She's just four, man." He sighed and put the picture back in his pocket. "I have a life now Steve. People to live for, not just die for. And I want to make sure that this mission is worth my life, because it didn't seem like it was all about God or Country in that briefing. You know I would fight for those at any given time. But that seemed more like someone else's vendetta or something. I don't want to leave my family fatherless because of some higher up's personal schemes." McCain said.

Steve understood. He felt the same way, but he was the leader here. He had a role to play. But that didn't mean he didn't feel like a sheep being taken to the slaughter like McCain did.

"It wouldn't be the first time though." He said, solemnly to McCain."God knows we have fought for so much less than God and country. Don't think about it too much. Don't question it. Fight for God and fight for your country without question. The mission has merit and if the White-house sanctioned it, then we don't need a better reason." Steve said.

"That's just the thing, Steve. I don't think it was sanctioned. I don't know, I just have doubts about this."

"Well don't, that's a recipe for you to get killed on a mission if you think like that." Steve had admonished.

Now as he thought about it, he could not just dismiss McCain's allegations so easily. He had to err on the side of caution. Not that he was going to abort the mission or anything, he didn't have the power to do that even if he was the SEAL commander. He could, but it better be a damn good reason, not just a gut feeling or he'd be relieved of command. He too had people to live for and not just die for. He may not have a wife and kids, but he had family. He had people who would care whether he lived or died. He had people who would be devastated by his loss, people who counted on him to keep living. People he didn't want to say goodbye to with the possibility of never seeing them gain, people he loved.

Yeah, he will dutifully go and fight for God and country but just in case God wasn't involved in this and his President didn't know, he needed an insurance policy.

Because he had people now, who would stop at nothing to make sure he came back. People who would poke around the wrong places trying to find him even if they had no clue where to start looking. And if God was not involved in this, and his country unaware, things like that could get his people killed. Or they could be used against him if he ever got captured. There were ties he had to sever before he could pack his bag and go for a mission like this, at least on paper. Anything that could be traced and linked to him. If only he could make these people do likewise and erase his existence from their minds and their hearts. But he knew they would never let him go, just like he couldn't let them go. Stubborn people who, if given a chance, would bring him back home, dead or alive. No matter what. It was exasperating to thing about it. Steve would have to make sure those people got that chance. Because he wanted to come back, for them _._

 _..._

 _See you in a little bit._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-Could be the last meal.**

 **Hey guys, i am sorry it's been so long. I meant to post this last week but real life got in the way. Anyhoo, here's another chapter, i hope you like and review. Know that i really appreciate your reviews though sometimes i may not get to reply. I really look forward to them. So, keep 'em coming. I'm so grateful to my beta, Jedi4129. Feel better soon my friend. Again, the mistakes are all mine.**

 **Cheers!**

 **...**

 **"If you're going to have faith, you can't just have it when miracles happen, you have to have it when they don't." (SPN, 1x12)**

He was left with two days, or at least he thought. He had got the call only two days ago, and now only two days were left before he would have to say good bye. All the preparations had been made, what was left was just the last-minute details and those were most important. Usually they would mean the difference between life and death. The difference to their mission's succeeded or failure. He was just glad he had this time to say goodbye. Usually they wouldn't get this much time in preparation for a mission. But this mission was different.

He treated Lynn to a fancy dinner, a romantic night, saying goodbye without really saying anything. She was happy, she obviously thinking their relationship had taken a turn for the better. Maybe even hoping that he would now pop out a ring soon. Deciding whether he should give her the ring he had bought for Cath or just buy her another one. He wished that this was all the problems he had to deal with, not a goodbye, temporary or otherwise.

It was harder trying to make his friends believe that he was taking them for drinks and paying for them out of his own pocket the next night. He knew that was a bit of an overkill, but he wanted to do this for them. Spend this last night with them, having drinks, just being with them. So, what if he went out of his usual M.O a bit and paid for the drinks? It was rare, but it wasn't like he hadn't done it before. Danny would not be so easily fooled though, Steve knew that when Danny joked about the 'lost' wallet being 'found'.

When they had got over the shock of him paying for the drinks, maybe thinking that he would find a debt or two from them and have them pay for the drinks after all, they finally settled at the bar and relaxed.

There was Tani, who was now like a little sister to him. She could never replace Kono of course, she was never meant to. She was on her own important to him, as a colleague and as a friend. And Jerry big seemingly eccentric guy but quite the genius sometimes. He had grown on him over the years.

Then there was Junior, the kid who had knocked on his door one day wearing a Navy uniform and the proper salute to boot. He had never stopped calling him Sir, but he was trying. He and Danny had tired of correcting him but they had eventually given up. Now they just let it slide. Danny still made a face when that 'Sir' was directed at himself. But he would just shake his head hopelessly when that 'Sir' was directed at Steve, and make a joke about it. The kid was fast getting into the fold now and relaxing his shoulders a bit more. Ever since he started living with Steve, he had become a little brother he would look out for. And Steve had been dismayed to hear that he was soon to move out. Steve had not realized it but Junior's presence had made the house less lonely.

He looked now at Lou Grover, the big guy was busy cracking jokes and being the heart of the mini-party. The big man had become a good friend. A voice of reason sometimes. He had become part of the Ohana when he joined Five O a few years ago and had remained family. Steve wished Kono and Chin were here too, so he could look at them, in what could very well be the very last time. It had taken him a while to realize that he had made family here. Real family. And it was so hard to leave them but he knew it would be harder for hem when he's gone. Because they cared about him.

As much as it was hard for him to say goodbye to these people he cared about, it didn't come near to the pain he felt having to say goodbye to Danny. Blood was overrated sometimes, because some blood brothers were not so close. They didn't have the deep connection that they should have. Family love was what he had discovered to be constant. A constant, irremovable stain that can never come off. Usually it wasn't by choice, it was almost always never by choice, but inescapable too. He had loved his dad, his sister and his mother and no matter what bullshit they pulled or how they managed to make his life miserable by being absent or being fake dead, he could not help but still love them. Would do anything for them. At times he had wished he couldn't love his mother anymore, for all the heartache she had caused him, but it wasn't a choice. It was an irremovable stain from the moment he was born. Steve had never thought someone who was not blood could become just as constant. Just as permanent to him. But Danny had become that part of himself, and even more so because he was the one who always managed to stay. He was the one who would manage to go to any part of the world to save him every time, ever since they met. The one who would give him a vital organ without any thought to himself. Danny was the brother that blood had failed to give him, but destiny had. He was just as big a stain, as permanent in his heart. And since the guy had also given him his liver to save his life, again, Steve ruled that the blood technicality had finally been taken care of. Danny was his brother, in the deepest meaning of the word. He was the one he couldn't bear to leave behind. But it had to be done.

It was a beautiful night, sitting outside of the restaurant at the beach, having drinks with the people who mattered in his life, soaking up their companionship and mentally saying goodbye. And they were laughing, making jokes and he felt a little bit lighter. He will remember the jokes, easy friendship, their warmth, their faces ,and their voices. He had settled everything with the Governor. She didn't know what operation he was under of course, but she did know that he had been called to duty by the Navy and he would be gone in the near foreseeable future. This was the agreement that was made between the Governor' office and the Navy. Danny was to take up the reigns of the task force in his absence, as usual. Only this time it might be a little bit more permanent. There were no guarantees of him coming back. But the Governor didn't seem to doubt his return. He wished HE felt the optimistic.

He looked at Danny now, the jokes going around, the laughter. Danny seemed to be part of it, but he really wasn't . Steve knew him well and right now Danny was in his 'pretend to be happy and get it over with' mode. They had been partners and best friends for eight years. He knew him too well. Steve had sold Danny that load of bullshit about that phone call, and he had known right then that he had not believed him. But what could Steve do? It was Classified information. Would he believe Danny If he lied to him? Would he not see through his lies? They could always sense if something was wrong with the other and right now he knew Danny could sense it. Just as he would sense it if something were wrong with Danny. That's what made this the hardest thing he could ever do. This was so hard. And it hurt like hell.

Steve looked at him now and caught his eye. He smiled, and Danny smiled back. No, it didn't reach his eyes. It was just a sad smirk of the lips before his eyes dropped from his quickly. Then Danny abruptly stood up, grabbed his beer and excused himself to walk away and stand staring at the ocean. By that little action, Steve knew Danny knew something was up. Something not too good. He stood far too close to the ocean and the waves were almost touching his shiny expensive ltalian loafers. He stood there like that with one hand in his pocket, the other holding the beer he clearly no longer wanted or enjoyed.

The table grew awkwardly silent, the Team clearly saw that something was up between the brothers.

"Is he ok?" Lou asked, and Steve just shrugged taking a swig from his Long board. He was almost afraid to confront Danny about his disposition these days because he was pretty sure he knew. And didn't want to end up being the one to answer some very classified questions. He tried to carry on with the conversation, but everyone was just looking at him now.

"What?" He asked.

Tani rolled her eyes and looked at Junior, who stopped drinking long enough to throw a look of disbelief the Commander's way before looking at Tani. He shrugged.

"I don't know, he's been acting weirdly low these past two days where you've been oddly happy when we're around and just as sad when you think no one is watching. I don't know, a day or two? Did you guys fight again? The restaurant? I did tell you it was a bad idea for you two to go into partnership with the restaurant." Lou blabbered on. He was an astute man but he was totally off on what was going on here. And Steve thought it was for the better. He didn't need some kind of mourning ceremony here. Ignorance was bliss, at least for them. He couldn't say the same about Danny though. The guy looked like he was already in mourning. He knew.

"It's not about the Restaurant, I promise. I'll go find out what's up with him." Steve said, leaving the table.

Danny stood looking at the ocean. He knew something was wrong with Steve and it had something to do with that phone call. Now the feeling of foreboding was getting stronger in light of Steve's recent behavior .Number one on the list was this little get together, picking up the tab and all. It was a goodbye. Steve didn't say it out loud but it was as clear as day. What was it then? Why was he saying goodbye with such sadness? Steve really thought he could hide it from him with those fake smile and fake jovial mood? Danny snorted in derision. McGarrett had started doing these little out of character things. He would disappear at random and lie about it when asked. Despite all the Navy training, Danny knew that Steve couldn't lie to those close to him as well as he thought he could. Too bad Danny knew him too well. He noticed things that others didn't. Like the way he held Grace and Charlie for so long when he saw them yesterday. And had this dreamy, faraway and sometimes vacant look in his eyes even as he tried to joke and laugh with the others. That made Danny's stomach drop. This wasn't right, In a lot of ways. Things weren't adding up. And he found it so hard to continue pretending that all was well, because everything wasn't. And when Steve looked at him and smiled at that table, he knew. He was saying goodbye. And he didn't know if he would ever be able to deal with that. So, he had left the table, pissed with all of it.

Maybe he was wrong and it had something to do with his health? The radiation poisoning? Maybe that was a call from his doctor to say that he had finally developed the big C? If so, why wouldn't he tell him something like that? Why would he try to hide it and why say goodbye now? He only got the call four days ago. Was he going somewhere? Was his SEAL team activated again? Danny didn't know what was going on, but he knew one thing, the lies hurt. More than anything. He and Steve, they were like brothers. Closer even. What happened to Steve happened to him too, Steve should know that. But Steve didn't want to tell him what was going on with him , so instead he lied. Lied straight to his face. And Danny had stopped asking, because now with the way Steve had been acting, he was afraid to ask. He was afraid to know, and frankly terrified to ask because he knew Steve would lie to his face if he asked. And if Steve disrespected him like that, Danny knew he'd deck him and then they both would feel like crap.

Steve came to stand next to him, but Danny didn't turn his head to look at him.

Steve just stood there, hands buried in his pockets for a few seconds before saying anything.

"So, Lou says you've been acting weird these few days." Steve started.

Danny snorted, and tried to calm himself with a swig of beer but instead, it gave him liquid courage. He turned to Steve. "Me?!. I'm the one who's been acting weird? Nice, Steven, very nice.." He said bitterly and continued looking at the ocean, matching Steve's stance.

Steve sighed exasperatedly, "It's a beautiful night Danny. I would really appreciate it if we can go through it without sulking, ok?" He said, knowing he would get a rise from Danny. And he was surprised when it didn't come. Danny just turned and looked straight into his eyes for the longest time, maybe half a minute. Steve fought the urge to squirm. Danny unnerved him pretty well with that direct gaze.

' _Are you seriously doing this? Pretending and lying? To me? What kind of trouble are you in that you can't tell me about? You don't trust me enough or what? Seven years. Seven years I've had your back and you still don't trust me. That hurts, buddy. A lot.'_ Danny paused from his inner monologue to take a swig of his beer and try to calm himself down. _'And why would you think I wouldn't see through this class act of yours. News Flash, I know you. And you're saying goodbye. To who, where? And most importantly, WHY?'_ His inner monologue was ranting again. But no words came forth, because he wasn't too sure he wanted to know after all. Plus, he had done this too many times, too many to take any more lies. If Steve didn't want to tell him then, he'll give him his space.

"I really need this Danno." Steve said with an urgency that broke Danny's melancholy mood. As if in answer to Danny's silent questions.

Danny just nodded and gave him that weird sad smile again. "Ok." Was all he said. He wasn't going to argue but that look in his eyes and that pleading statement had just confirmed everything he had feared. _'Dammit, Steven!'_ his inner monologue raged. _'WTF?!'_

"Ok then." Steve said, taking a relieved breath, getting back to a normal mood. "Oh, and uh…do you wanna come over to my place after drinks? There's something I want to show you." Steve said.

Danny just nodded again and sighed exasperatedly. Something he wanted to show him. Jeez, it better not be his Will. Danny _would_ absolutely _LOSE IT!_ The way McGarrett was acting you'd think the guy was going to die tomorrow. But he decided to go with it. If this was going to be Steve's last time with them, then he would be part of it.

…..

Now he stood in Steve's library, being given a tour of his family history and it took a lot for Danny to keep quiet. Steve's grandfather's medals and how important each one was. There was a story behind each one. And then his mother's diary and it's hiding place in the floor, how much he wanted Mary to have it. Then his father's stuff. The guy was literary writing out his Will. Danny kept quiet though, he managed that. Danny could tell how important this was for Steve so he took note of everything, even taping some of Steve's words on his cell phone. But he was still pissed. And scared. But he made sure to remember all of Steve's wishes.

"You know, this house has been in the McGarrett family for generations and l hope it will remain that way. Hopefully Mary would move back to Hawaii with Joanie. But if she doesn't want to, l'd like you to move in. I know you're no longer in that crummy apartment and now have a nice house of your own, but maybe you could rent it out and live here instead. With your family, your kids love the beach."

"Why are you talking like this, Steven?" Danny asked suspiciously, with dread in his heart.

"No reason. It's just…well, I just got caught in the moment you know. Nothing to it." Steve replied with nonchalance.

Then Steve took out some dog tags, his Navy dog tags and gazed at them absent minded for a minute. Then he sighed and looked meaningfully at Danny.

"I want you to have these." He said, and that was the last straw for Danny. He lost it. He was not going to do this. He turned on his partner, no longer just staring at the SEAL's proffered dog tags.

"What's going on Steven?" Danny just looked at those tags and then at Steve. "What's really going on Steve?"

"What, can't I just…" Steve managed to get out.

"No. There is no 'just' anything here. You have got to be straight with me man. What the hell is going on? Are you dying or something? Are you…are you going away? ls there an Op or something? Dammit Steven! Say something!"

Steve avoided his partner's eyes. After swallowing hard, he managed to screw up some frustrated, outraged, 'NO!'

It wasn't convincing. No. no no no, Danny could not do this right now. He just shook his head at Steve in disappointment and left the house. Leaving Steve staring out at him holding his tags. He drove around for bit, not knowing where to go exactly. He could go to Rachel's. She did get him through Mattie leaving that time. She might be able to help with this one too. He was about to lose his best friend; his brother and he really didn't know how to deal with that a second time around. Didn't Steven realize how important he was in Danny's life? That one more loss would devastate him? He didn't know the depths of this whole thing, but Steve was leaving, of that he was sure. And he didn't think this time he was going to be able to come back. It never crossed his mind to go to Melissa with this, the girl he was currently seeing. That should have spoken volumes to him that the first person he thought of in this kind of crisis was his newly divorced ex-wife. The mother if his children. Maybe it was just familiar habit.

He didn't go there though, it was too complicated. Besides, Rachel would want information. Information he didn't have and if he had said information, he couldn't share it with her most likely. Instead he went to the bridge. His other favorite place in Hawaii. Hawaii, this pineapple infested hellhole had become his second home. And that was not because of the landscape and the ocean, but it was family he had found here. A family he wasn't ready to let go of yet, or ever, for that matter. This was hard because he knew he should go back and talk to Steve. He was sure this was one of the Classified Ops and he knew Steve would be evasive and lie through his teeth until the end, the Navy SEAL would have to. He now felt bad about just leaving his partner and his best friend like that. What if he was to walk into the office tomorrow and find out that he was gone? Danny sat brooding,about to get up and go back when he saw a pair of headlights belonging to one Chevy Silverado he knew well. The truck parked next to his Camaro and Steve got out and walked over to the Detective to sit next to him on the bridge. The partners sat like that in strained silence for a few minutes.

"How did you find me?" Danny asked quietly.

"Let's just say l know you almost as well as you know me.''

So, the silence ensure for a moment, but the mood went from strained back to their brotherly comaradery. Then Steve took a deep breath preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"Listen, I'm being shipped out. Its Classified and I can only tell you so much, but…" He shrugged in resignation.

"Ok." It wasn't supposed to be much of a shock but it was. "Ok, I get that. When?" Danny had surmised as much but it hit him hard. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. But now he just had to face it, what else could he do?

"I don't know. Whenever the Navy calls, you know - when it will be the most inconvenient" Steve said with a sigh of despair.

"You're coming back? Right" Danny asked hesitantly.

Steve sighed loudly, "Phew, to be honest, I don't know. So, I would like you to have these." He said, holding out his dog tags again. This time, Danny sadly took them. He stared at them, refusing what they might mean.

"Just so we understand each other here, I am just keeping these for you. Until you come back. You make sure you come back, Ok Steven?" Danny said, looking seriously at Steve, daring him to say otherwise.

Steve wasn't feeling too confident but seeing how badly Danny was trying to hold on to hope, he manged to nod weakly.

"Promise me you'll come back." Danny said quietly, almost like a heartbroken child.

Steve knew that he really couldn't promise that, but he sure would try. He found his voice, ''l will try my very best, you know that.''

"No, say it Steve. You'll come back." Danny demanded earnestly. He believed that the words one says with meaning would go a long way into shaping one's future, and Steve's hesitancy was not shaping out a very good future right now. And that scared him.

"Danny I can't promise..."

"No." Danny said with emphasis. "No Steven. You cannot go to war with a mentality like that..."

"It's not war..."

"Whatever. War, killing spree on a CIA or Seal black Ops mission, i don't care Steven. If you go there, wherever the hell it is with a mentality like that, you wont get out of there alive. You understand?'

Steve nodded somberly.

"Good. Now, go to your secret holy or unholy mission, defend your country, kill people, i really don't know Steven but you come back alive. Do you hear me?" Danny lectured.

"We'll try not to kill anyone..."

"Steven!"

"Ok, ok...I promise."

"Say it."

"I'll come back. I'll come back." Steve said it with more conviction this time. Wanting more than anything to come back. He will come back. The SEAL put his arm around the Detective's shoulder like he would a younger, upset sibling.

"I'll hold you to that." Danny said stubbornly.

"If I don't come back, and you feel like you need to come look for me, look inside." Steve said, a bit more meaningful, serious.

"Look inside where? My heart? Steve that's something you would tell Charlie if his daddy died. I'm a bit old for that kind of pep talk, don't you think?" Danny ranted dismissively.

"Just remember what I said. Look inside. That's where I'll be."

Danny shook his head at that and let it go. If Steve thought that would make him feel better about this, then he was way off the mark.

They hugged it out, brotherly pats on the back and all. No one cried. Because no one was dying. Steve was coming back. They had the beer Steve threw in his truck before going out into the night to find his buddy. They sat there in easy silence watching the stars float by under crashing waves. After midnight, they shook hands and headed for their respective homes, their last parting words being their usual gibe;

"Don't get dead."

"Don't get dead."

The next morning Steve didn't come to work. Yup, the Navy had caalleed. He tried Steve's cell, but the Detective already knew it would be unreachable. Steve was gone. Maybe for good. NO! He refused to think that way. Someone had to keep hope alive so he went to his office and waited for the Governor to call and make it official.

...

 **Let me know what you think. See you in a bit.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- Peacemaker.**

 **Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews and the likes, i really appreciate them. Thank you. Here's another one. I hope you like and review.**

 **...**

 **We make all of our suns the same  
Every one will suffer the fire we've made  
They all explode just the same  
And there's no going back on the plans we've made -Peacemaker Lyrics by Lindsey) Song suggested by my good friend and beta-Jedi.  
**

 **...**

"Alright gentlemen. I guess you know what this means if you are involved." Steve said, as he addressed his team of eight. "Each one of you was handpicked for this team and you all knew what that meant."

They were the blackest of all operatives. They had done this before, they knew what was expected of them. Sacrifice at the risk of not coming back. The enemy they were up against was lethal, not just to them but to the country. And this operation could mean the start of World War III. There was a chip with some nuke codes that had been stolen. Now, that chip was not all that important to them, they had plenty of others, but it held the key to Russian defense codes. The Russians had been trying to keep that technology out of the Chinese hands for years. And hell was going to break loose if the Russians found out that the Americans had given it to the Chinese. It wouldn't matter that one of their own had stolen the chip to sell it to the Chinese for personal gain. In a nutshell, terrorist activities had been involved. The other guys managed to deal with that. Homeland Security, the CIA and others managed to get on top of it pretty quickly. It was cleaned up before it even went public. The rest of the American public and the world didn't even know that the U.S. had faced such a threat again. It had been so efficiently dealt with, except there was one loose end which they could not get in time. It fast turned into a potential International incident when one of their own, an American, apparently working with the terrorists for his own profit, sold the chip with the nuke codes for profit to a Chinese non-allied politician. Now, the said politician had gone and hid himself at the Chinese Embassy. Dialogue with the Consulate had been easy, the Consulate promised to turn in his guest but, conveniently shortly after that very pleasant conversation, their suspect had fled. The Chinese Consulate claimed he didn't know when or where he had fled to. Which of course was a lie, the guy was in China by this time and sitting in a Chinese Military Base. Yeah, they had found that out quickly, but not quickly enough. Because their target was not supposed to leave the US at all. This was now on a different level of complicated.

Now, their order was not to just steal back the nuke codes without being noticed but to also steal the important Diplomat. He had information on who had given him those nuke codes in the first place. He might also be a well of information they could use. Besides, if he did go missing the Chinese Government were highly unlikely to make it an issue, since according to them they had no idea where he was. Oh and, they were to also takeout anyone and anything that stood in the way of that mission. If all went well, this would just shut the Chinese right up and mend relations with Russia. Steve wasn't big on the politics, nor did he care, he just knew what his orders were. And as long as it was for God and Country, he was game.

He checked the bullets in his guns, added some more grenades into his pockets and pulled his mask down. He also made sure to carry his water and protein bars, hence Steve's love of cargo pants. Every one of his men did the same. They were ready for the mission. Their sub was about to get to destination, they were six minutes out.

Steve made hand signals, counting down with his fingers. From this point on, no talking and no faces. Crossing the border into China undetected meant entering a detection grid designed to pick up any use of technology. That meant no comms, no use of GPS or anything that used juice. Deaf and Blind. The Chinese Military did routine border checks from the air and possibly the sea, but their sub had not been detected so far, that meant they were good, so far. Anyway, it went without saying that if they got caught, they were not going to receive any help. They would be disavowed. If they get this job done well, their sub would be waiting for them at the designated coordinates in two days and not for more than an hour. Just great, happy days.

The sub spewed them out miles from shore, they had to swim for more than three hours to get to the shore.

…

 **The table.**

"Look, you told me that the President had signed off on this."

"And he will."

"But he hasn't yet, has he? What if he doesn't?"

"He will. Just relax Mayfield."

"I will not relax. My guys are already out there."

"Which is good. We had to act in time. You did good. Now, we just wait for Fisher to come back with the signed document from the President. And he will thank us for acting so quickly and efficiently. If he doesn't, he is a weakling who would rather be a diplomat in a time of war. We would like to think we didn't put such a wuss in power."

"But he is in power. What are you going to do about it?"

"Again Mayfield, relax. Things like this can be taken care of."

….

 **Peacekeeper, take your time  
Wait for the dark of night  
Soon all the suns will rise  
Peacekeeper, don't tell why  
Don't be afraid to fight  
Love is the sweet surprise **

With mouth pieces on, they had to stay under and only came up when they reached their destination according to their coordinates. Coming out of the water in a singular manner as if ghosts from a grave. They were ghosts. At least they were supposed to behave as such, in their black ninja outfits on the darkest of nights.

Steve took a breath and turned to the others. From out here there probably weren't any surveillance, except for satellite surveillance maybe, but being extra careful never hurt anybody and he had made a promise to come back. A promise which he intended to keep. So, he raised his fist and gave hand signals, his team following him into the jungle. He would not take any more risks unless he absolutely had to.

They walked that jungle for another 8 hrs before they could finally see the outline of their targeted Chinese Military Base, where Zheng was supposedly hiding. Their timing was good so far, but nothing was definite. They had been provided with the Chinese Military base's blue prints by one of their spies and they knew exactly which bunker Zheng was hiding. According their spy, it was not just a bunker, but a luxurious Suite for Chinese Diplomats in hiding.

They had to take out any opponent silently, that meant no gun fight unless if absolutely necessary; at which point they could completely rule out any hope of a safe return home. And even then, they would have to use silencers because If any detection of an invasion was found, an alarm would be sound, and they would have the whole Chinese military on them. Suffice to say, it would not end with them getting back home in one piece. And being taken alive was not an option. Not just to keep the country's secrets but for their own sanity. Chinese torture was something of a legend.

Eyes focused through his binoculars, Steve waited at the brink, counting the guards outside. Despite the time of night, they were not ones to slack around or sleep on duty. No Sir. They were standing on high alert, two or three were doing random sweeps of the compound. It wasn't going to be impossible, but it would take special tact. He gave his instructions by hand signals and everyone acknowledged that they understood what they were supposed to do. They approached stealthily. Two went around the back on the right side, two others around the back-left side, Steve led his team of four forward. He snuck up on one guard and grabbed him by the neck and in one swift practiced motion, gave him a sleeper hold, the others doing the same to their targets. They moved forward taking out any targets in the same way, leaving them no chance to scream for help. So far so good.

Getting into the house was different however, it was more heavily guarded to say the least, and from this point on, things didn't go quite as planned, these guys would be killed out right.

…..

 **The table.**

Colonel Fisher walked back into the room with a file in hand and a closed look on his face. "He didn't sign off on it."

"No."

"I'm telling you. Diplomacy…"

"Diplomacy be *uked! That was a clear act of war by the Chinese and he would rather kiss their ass than show them that we won't be trifled with? This is so…"

"It doesn't matter now what you think. The guy is in power and he ruled us out. I've gotta get my guys out." Mayfield said.

"You can't do that."

"What do you mean I can't do that? The mission has been scratched. Why the hell not?"

"Because if word of this operation got out, we will all be out on our asses. Not to mention the diplomatic and international mayhem this would cause. Your guys are already over the boarder by now. Think Mayfield."

"We've got to cover this. Only the five of us in this room know about this operation. Not a word gets out. Not a single word. Are we together?"

"Wait a minute, what about my team?"

"Don't talk like a child, Mayfield…"

"These are honorable men. Who think they are still fighting for their country. Men with families…"

"Should we take it that you're not onboard ,Mayfield?"

Mayfield looked at the faces on that table, they were all looking at him with suspicion now. And that was never a good thing. So, he swallowed and calmed down, got back the cold facade he usually wore.

"It's not like I have a choice now, do l? Besides, eight men are an acceptable enough collateral."

"Good, it's good to know that we are on the same page. General, you take care of this mess."

"Already on it."

Mayfield swallowed hard, bile rising in his throat. His hands were tied right now. But it didn't mean he wasn't going to get a chance to at least warn his team. Or have these bastards pay. By God, he'll make them pay.

…..

 **Only creatures who are on their way  
Ever poison their own well  
But we still have time to hate  
And there's still something we can sell **

**See you in a bit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-Balk.**

 **hey guys, thanks for the reviews, i really appreciate them. Here's another chapter. I hope you like. Cheers.**

 **...**

 **When the night is cold and still**  
 **When you thought you'd had your fill**  
 **Take all the time you will**  
 **This is not a test, it's not a drill**  
 **Take no prisoners, only kill- Peacemaker.  
**

 **...**

They tried to do it as silently as before, but they were now taking two tangos at a time. No longer one on one, they were outnumbered and with that it was very likely that they would not be fast enough to stop one from slipping off to grab a neck chained whistle and signal an alarm. Steve quickly looked up from dispatching one target, throwing his dagger at the guy on the 2nd story balcony, who already had a his whistle on his lips. The dagger landed with precision on the guy's chest, falling face down off the balcony. If only he had been seconds sooner, because the whistle had already been blown. And all hell was about to break loose.

He had to get that chip. They could not afford to fail this mission.

Steve rushed to the room where the Diplomat was supposed to be sleeping in bed, though with all the chaos that was going on now, it was highly unlikely he was still sound asleep.

And he was right. Steve observed quickly as he saw Zheng hiding behind one of the guards. Gun fire, silencer or not was now an option. The alarm had been blown and now they were no longer in hiding. Between him and McCain, they managed to take out the three guards still in the room.

Steve walked to the bedside cabinet while McCain approached Zheng who was now cowering against a wall to quickly drug him, so he would be easier to transport.

Steve opened the cabinet and sure to their Intel, there was a Safe. He tried out the combination and wallah! There it was, in a concealed card-holder disguised as a credit card.

"We have to go McGarret." McCain said, gun in hand, ready to clear the way.

Steve pocketed the chip and made a grab for Zheng, hoisted him up his shoulders and made a run for it.

Journey down the stars was not so easy, there was gun fire everywhere now, and it wasn't even the full force of the army yet. As far as he could tell, this was not even half the Chinese army yet. They had to act fast before the whole Base came charging at them. Then, it would be game over.

Steve gave the signal to leave, yelling, "Package secured, package secured, let's go!"

Steve was taking heat and with Zheng on his shoulders, mobility was a bit restricted. And when he met with another hostile at the door, he had no other play but to use Zheng as a shield. Just great! The guy could no longer talk dead and that was as good an alternative as any. Sure, he could no longer give their side any information, but neither could he his.

He dumped the body and started to run, McCain besides him. His team members were already right ahead, some carrying more burdens now than they had come with, their brothers who had taken bullets. So far, it didn't seem like anyone had been killed.

….

 **You know all of our friends are Gods**  
 **And they all tell us how to paint our face**  
 **But there's only one brush we need**  
 **It's the one that never leaves a trace**

 **...**

Mayfield made his way from the meeting, he was not one to be fearful or hesitant but right at that moment he felt both. Because he didn't know the plan. How were those diplomatic duchy scam-bags going to cover this up? The General had juice and he could be capable of just about anything. Just what? He needed to know what so that he could try and save his team. He knew he had been less that unaffected in that meeting and he was never like that. No matter how much he loathed the company, his job was to lay with wolves. Or pigs. And to make sure that their mess was cleaned up. Another thing to be wary about was how he had not been given the job to clean up this one. Was it because the General had someone better? The General was never without janitors, but Mayfield was the best, everyone knew it. That's why he always got a seat at the table.

Yes, he knew that though they may accord him the same status as them now, as if he was their equal, he was a glorified executioner at best.

That as it may be, he had been able to retain his seat at the table because God help him if he didn't have dirt on every one of these scam-bags. And then some. He was expendable, yes. But it was easier to keep him as a friend. He sure could make a bad foe. However, he wasn't that conceited that he could get so comfortable in his chair to forget that the enemy was also his friend. And would sneak up on him if you gave them reason enough. Was this it then?

Was it because he had protested too much? He had made a grave mistake there, he knew that. He had protested a notch too much. He had acted out of character and he was losing his touch. If that out-bust hadn't just clarified that to him then nothing would. But he had always been known for being a straight shooter. And that had never made him an enemy before. Now he felt like one. He felt in his gut that he had stepped a foot wrong this time and had got himself smack down on the list. He was a target now. He knew this in his gut. And his gut was never wrong.

Mayfield was fast, he was the best he knew, but that didn't make him so arrogant he could underestimate his enemy. He had one advantage though, unlike his black-ops team, who only knew of a shadow behind a shadow, Mayfield knew the head of the snake. And he would not be going down easy.

…

They made it back to the jungle, at their rendezvous place. And started to make count. Yeah, everyone was accounted for and apart from miner injuries from one or two, nothing major. Steve took a relieved breath, they had made it. Against all odds. Now, all that was left was for them to make it back to the sea in this condition, without any further damage and they would be home free. He could not believe it had all worked out and they were going back home.

"Commander, you're bleeding." Bridge said, and Steve looked confused at him. He had no idea what the guy was talking about. He was perfectly fine.

"What?"

"Your leg. You got shot."

"I did?" Steve looked down at his leg and yeah, he had got shot alright. How come he hadn't felt it? Now that they had mentioned it though, he could feel It now. It must have been the adrenaline from the danger they were in that made him not to feel anything when he had been shot. It wasn't something new in their line of work. Sometimes it had to be mind over matter. Most of the time, life over limb.

"Yeah uh…it's a flesh wound." He said dismissively. "Guys, we gotta' move. This is no longer a safe place to hide." He said, tying a makeshift bandage over the wound to stop it from bleeding. Limping ahead, he led his team out of the woods. Another day and a half journey. This time it took longer because everyone was nursing an injury or two. But they made it. With three hours to spare.

They got to the sea and started their three-hour swim to their rendezvous with the sub. It took three hours and half this time, they were not in the exact same shape they had started in. But at least they were all here. No one had died. It was a miracle.

The sub wasn't there. They were an hour early. The whole invasion thing had taken them ten minutes tops, inside and outside that base. But it had seemed like a lifetime of struggle. It had been intense, extremely dangerous, that ten minutes seemed like hours. But the journey to and back was the real time consumer. Thank God they made it out. With time to spare. It was like a dream.

Now they waited, heads on top of the water, breathing easy but the water was damned cold. But they kept each other warm, sharing stories and a few laughs. They had made it. They would not have thought it, but they were as good as home and in better pieces than they would have anticipated.

One hour later, the water started vibrated, signalling something big approaching. Their Sub was here. It was only a matter of minutes before they could see its head.

"Sub's here." Bridge said, with a wide relieved grin on his face.

"That's what I'm talking about man. Phew! But this water is cold, man. Can't wait to get warm." Stash said.

"Can't wait to see my family man. I didn't think we would make it, to be honest." McCain said to Steve. They were the only ones slacking behind, the others had swum ahead, eager to get to the Sub.

Steve smiled. His leg was bleeding and McCain was practically dragging him in the water. As the adrenaline wore off the pain had resurfaced with a vengeance. But they were soldiers. His throbbing leg had to swim.

The top door was opened, and a guy came out, presumably to help them get on.

Bridge grabbed the side handle and climbed on. He made a joyful whistle as he got to the top. Suddenly the whistle died abruptly, and his head shot back as a shot rang out.

Steve and Jack froze, confused, as they looked on watching Matthew Bridge's body fall back into the water.

At first Steve thought that the Chinese had found them and had just shot one of them but as more bodies started dropping, more shots being fired from their Sub, he froze in utter horror.

The guy was standing on top of the Sub, picking them easy one after the other like a professional sniper. They were sitting ducks, with nowhere to run. The sub was their own, the guy was American, he was one of theirs. What in the name of God was he doing?

"What the hell are you doing?! We're on the same side! What the fuck is this?!" He yelled, outraged, but bodies were still dropping.

They tried to swim back, to go under but they were sported anyway. Steve watched in horror as Jack McCain took a bullet to the chest. He went to him, tried to hold him.

"Jack?! Come on McCain! No no no no!" He roared. Jack's eyes were already fading, but he managed to smile at him, his eyes conveying a message, 'Take care of my family.' Then he pushed Steve down under water with the little strength he had left and took another bullet in the head.

The sub door closed, and Steve could see it move away. Jack had saved him. At the expense of his own life. The head count was supposed to be eight, but McCain had gotten himself shot twice, taking the bullet for him. The sniper on the sub had probably went away happy, thinking he had the job properly executed. The head count and his bullets matched.

McCain had saved him. From his own people. What in the world did that mean? His own Country had set out to assassinate them? McCain, Bridge, Stash, Rodgers, Dredd, Phillips, Cage. All of them executed. By their own people. The people they served with honor and sacrifice. Why?

….

 **Only creatures who are on their way**  
 **Ever poison their own well**  
 **But we still have time to hate**  
 **And there's still something we can sell**

 **...**

 **See you in a little bit.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- And now it starts.**

 **Hey guys, thanks for the reviews as always. Here's another one. I hope you like. Let me know what you think.**

...

 **Frozen in the place I hide**

 **Not afraid to paint my sky**  
 **With some who say I've lost my mind**  
 **Brother try and hope to find**

 **You were always so far away**  
 **I know that pain**  
 **So don't you run away like you used to do -Brother lyrics.**

Steve was supposed to be back by now. If he was alive. It had been 9 days. Steve had said he'd be back in five days, tops. It had already been 9 days. Danny was worried, he didn't know where to start looking. Was the 5-0 commander alive or was he dead? Either way, shouldn't they have been notified by now? Danny sighed.

"You know, maybe he got held up with something. I'm guessing Black Ops is not so always black and white." Lou ventured.

Danny had looked up with a start when Lou started talking. The blonde detective didn't even realize that he had been giving away distress signals.

"What?" He asked. They were standing at the computer table, supposed to be discussing a case.

"You're worried about McGarret aren't you?" Lou asked quietly.

"What? Pfff…no." He huffed. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Besides, you know McGarrett, he doesn't die easy." Danny said dismissively.

"Oh, thanks for trying to convince me. I hope you can convince yourself of that, too." Lou persisted.

"Well, what do you want me to say Lou? We don't know anything. What do they say again? No news is good news. So, in the meantime, we've got work to do." He said, going back to giving his attention to the computer files of the perp they were looking for as Tani got back to sliding the phots onto the screen.

Just because Steve was missing, again, didn't mean that the Island had gone quiet. Work still had to be done, because people were still killing people on the damned Island. And those murders had to be solved, and perps brought to justice. As the de-facto leader of the task force now, he could not afford for the work to slack just because he was worried. And it was Danny's job to keep everyone else on the team from going into panic mode worrying about McGarret. He had apprised everyone else on his team about McGarret's mission, but he had not gotten into specifics. lt was a Navy op. That's all. Thank goodness Junior backed him up. Hell, it wasn't like he knew any specifics himself. The detective wouldn't be surprised if Steve himself didn't know any specifics. But it was his job to deliver the news with less gloom than Steve had when he was telling him.

He was worried. He had a feeling something was seriously wrong, but he will give Steve one more day to come back, or he would be all over this. He had told Joe about Steve's mission but he didn't know how far he could find out anything.

….

Mayfield didn't go home that night, he was being cautious, but he didn't want to make it too obvious. So, he had spent his night pretending to be drunk in a strip club the day when all shit went to hell. lt was the day he became a target. Crowds at this moment were his best friend. He could see better who was tailing him, and he was being tailed. He just didn't believe these two goons not making a good job of pretending to be drunk buffoons were the only ones.

The night in question, his live-in girlfriend, she was more for cover really, was blown up when she tried to drive his car to the supermarket. As soon as she opened the door, it went boom. And now she was dead, papers will never show anything about his involvement, they could never know his real name on any of them.

He had snuck into his apartment, the one he was currently staying, It was a crime scene, but no one saw him, of course. He got his go bag and got out.

Now he started the life on the run. With the bombing and all, they had lost their hand at the element of surprise. Now he was a target in the open, and they knew he knew. So, it was now a game of cat and mouse. One thing for sure, he was off the Table.

…

 **Day 10**

Danny knew, if he went to the Navy base to ask about Steve's mission, he would get one answer. Classified. But he went anyway, because it was day ten already and he really didn't know where to start to look for him. Turns out, he wasn't the only one looking for some answers.

He found her sitting outside the office when he came out from having it out with the Navy officials who had looked at him with suspicion and of course, kept repeating, 'it's classified'. Steve had been trained by these robots, he couldn't be any different, could he? Because if he were any different, just a little bit, Danny would have more to go on, now that he needed to find him. He walked out of the office pissed off, not knowing what he should do now.

She had looked up at him, much like she was expecting him. Like she had been waiting for him. The moment she saw him walk out, she stood.

"Hi…uhm…I'm sorry but…did they tell you anything?" She asked hesitantly.

"Uh…hi, sorry, do I know you?" Danny asked politely but confused.

"Ah...sorry, where are my manners. I'm Katy McCain." She said, stretching a hand for a handshake. Danny took it, but still couldn't place where he was supposed to know her from.

"Danny Williams." He said and waited for more clues.

"I... I saw you going in there and I heard you ask about a certain mission. Did they tell you anything? Because they keep telling me that its classified."

Danny scoffed. He knew that one well. "Yeah, same here. Who are you looking for?"

"My husband. He left ten days ago, and he told me he was going to be back in five days. It's already been ten days and…I'm worried."

"I understand that but I'm sure everything is ok." He said, trying to calm her but nothing was ok here. He could feel it.

"I don't know…I pray so. Who are you looking for?" she asked

"A friend. A brother…actually." He replied then sighed in despair. This was not looking good, and now a husband, probably with kids, was missing too. Not missing. They didn't know anything yet, but something didn't feel right.

He walked her to her car, quizzing her all the way, trying to find out if her husband might have slipped and let out any more details that could be useful. Suffice to say, her husband was a Navy Seal, he wouldn't break.

They exchanged numbers in case anything came up. Danny walked back to his car, dialling a number on his phone.

"Joe, sorry man, I had to come here and find out for myself." Danny said, as soon as the phone was answered.

"When I specifically told you not to go meddling in Navy affairs, what did't you understand? Did you find anything except for 'classified'." Joe said sharply on the other end.

"Nope, but I did find an ally. Someone who can rule out that I'm crazy. Steve was not the only one who went on that mission."

"Obviously."

"And we've got proof. Proof that he didn't go alone and proof that there was a mission. Proof that I'm not crazy."

"You're sure there's proof for that too?" Joe joked.

"I'm gonna choose to ignore that Joe. Now, a testimony from a very sane detective, coupled with that of a wife of one of the team is something you can work with, right?"

"I'll see what I can do. I don't want names yet but I'm sure they are fine."

"You got anything on your end?"

"Nothing yet. No one seems to know anything about a mission. I'll keep sniffing around."

"You do that."

….

Mayfield boarded the plane with a sense of relief. He had manged to shake most of his tails and managed to slit the throats of two. He didn't feel like he was still being tailed now but one could never be too careful.

He put his go-bag on the storage rack above his seat. The window seat was already taken, there was a guy there, normal looking guy engrossed with typing on his phone, he didn't even look up to say a polite 'hello'. That's what he wanted, someone who wasn't chatty, respected his privacy or just plain engrossed in his own business. When he sat down that's when the guy looked up at him in acknowledgment. He smiled a small stiff smile and waved his phone at him as part of an explanation.

"Hey." Mayfield said in greeting.

"Hey. My girlfriend. She won't let me have any peace about coming on this business trip without her. Yeah, its Hawaii, but it's on business. She won't shut up about it." The guy complained.

Mayfield smiled. He seemed like a nice normal geek with girl issues. Maybe even a bit of a player. Mayfield wasn't much of a talker, but he decided to be normal, friendly.

"You better make sure to make up for it next time." Mayfield said.

"Yeah, if we get through this fight, I'll take her there for our honeymoon."

"Good thinking." Mayfield said, hoping this was as far as they would go with the chatting.

"You live in Hawaii or you're just going for the beach?"

Not so, he almost grimaced. "The beach. I need to give myself a little bit of a suntan."

"Good for you." The guy said and went back to his typing. That was just perfect for him. Mayfield settled down and put some headphones on, not really listening to any music on it. His attention never left his surroundings even though he pretended to be sleeping to the non-existent music.

A Stewardess walked towards them and he was naturally on guard again.

"Please switch off your phone, sir. We are about to take off." The Stewardess said.

"Oh yeah, sure." The guy obeyed, switched off his phone, put on his head phones and turned to the window.

Good company.

Mayfield even managed to relax a little bit. But after a while he felt himself getting drowsy, it might be that he was catching up on some much-needed sleep. He never went to sleep unless he told himself to, and in a more controlled environment than this, but now he couldn't help it. Something was wrong.

…

Master Chief Operator Clarissa Kyle walked into the Tech Room at Pearl Harbor Naval Base. She didn't know what that woman had been going on about. She should look more closely into her husband's extra curricular activities instead of marching into the Navy with tales about a mission. At first, Kyle thought that she was just a jilted wife who wasn't quite in touch with reality, because she didn't know about any active op. Not recently anyway, but now, she wasn't too sure. And it was because of that blonde Detective. He wouldn't be crazy too now, would he? Talking about a Navy SEAL mission she didn't know about. The same mission that that woman had been talking about. The thing was, she wasn't aware of any sanction of any mission for the past month. And these people were saying it had been just ten days since the guys supposedly went on such a mission. They had said they didn't know where the mission was or what it was about, hence the impromptu visit to the Base. Well, as much as all Navy missions were classified to the civilians, it seemed this one was classified from her too. Because she swore she had not even heard of such a mission. Which was weird, because she was the head of intelligence here. Her job as Chief was to be the mission prepper,handling personnel, gear and logistics. No matter how covert it was, she was supposed to know.

She walked in and sat on her desk, pondering. Should she go to her superiors for this or should she just choke it down to a couple of prank-stars on crack. Even a Detective? Hmmmm.

….

Mayfield felt his arm being slung on a strong shoulder as he was being raised up from his seat. Everything was in a haze but one thing he knew for sure in his drugged or possibly poisoned state of mind was -he had been made. God, how had he been so sloppy? He should have known that there would be those good enough to anticipate his moves and wait ahead of him. The hunter is not always behind chasing a prey. Some lay a trap ahead. Too bad his pride in thinking that he was the best in the business blinded him from knowing that things had changed. He wasn't as good as he used to be. That's why he was now so easily expendable to them. He wasn't done. He had to warn people, warn someone about what was going on. Give someone his evidence to at least bring justice to avenge his comrades lost. Someone in Hawaii. Someone that McGarrett trusted. The commander had said if ever anything went sideways for him, there was only one other person he would trust to get him out of it. But he had failed that too.

"You ok, Sir?" the flight attendant asked.

"Uh…yeah, my friend, he had a bit too much of that cocktail, guy can't keep down one glass of alcohol. He goes bananas." The voice of his 'friend' on whose shoulder he was holding on to said, in a cordial manner, even joking. "His fear of flying must have compelled him to douse the whole thing down. I'm so going to take a photo of this and I'm never going to let him live it down."

The stewardess must have smiled and nodded, letting them go on their merry way.

'Help me. Help me.' He tried to scream but nothing was coming out. He wasn't dead on his feet, so he could carry his own weight, his feet could walk but everything else was numb. This was a good drug, if this guy didn't kill him first he'll ask for its' name before he slit his throat. In his mind he still had the pride that he was the best, well at least one of the best, and he will get the better of this guy once he gained his equilibrium. Just hoping the guy didn't kill him too quickly before that happened.

…..

 **Day ten.**

 **"I will keep fighting. I'll keep swinging until I got nothing left." (Dean, 10x20)**

A douse of water woke him up from his stupor. His eyes fought to focus. Where was he? What had happened. The voices around him were speaking in Chinese but his mind was not ready yet to concentrate on what they were saying.

The room was dark, so he couldn't see anything. Suddenly there was a light shining from the small corner which hurt his eyes, so he squinted and looked away from it. His feet and hands were tied to the back of his chair and he was now drenched. They must have doused him with a whole gallon of water.

Water. He remembered. He The SEAL Comander remembered everything now. The water, he and his team, his buddies, his brothers swimming into the sea after having accomplished their mission. How they had traded stories as they waited in that cold water for their submarine to come and pick them up and take them home. He remembered how happy they were, how relieved to have come out of it all alive.

Only they hadn't. Their sub had come, alright. Indeed, it had been right on time. Then it had started shooting them out one by one. All of them. Out of the eight he was the only one who had survived and that was due for revision considering the state he was in right now. But for now, he had lived, all because McCain had taken a bullet for him. He thought of them all, their faces. McCain's face as he had finally let him go to drawn at the bottom of the sea. He had saluted him as he floated down, vowing to get justice for this, or so help him God.

He will always see their faces, the whole thing playing in slow motion in his mind. There was only one reason he had survived this. To go back and take revenge on all the people involved in this. His first stop was Mayfield. Then when he was done with him, he'd know where to go to next.

Another douse of water put him out of his reverie. Enough for him to look up and pay attention to the faces now standing in front of him, staring at him.

"Where is it?" One of them said in perfect English.

What the hell were they talking about?

...

 **See you in a bit.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7- As the chips fall.**

 **Hey guys, thanks again for the reviews, as always. Here's another one. I hope you like.**

...

 **Ten days ago. (flash back.)**

 **They say you can't protect your loved ones forever. Well, I say screw that. What else is family for?" (Ellen, 2x10 SPN)**

 **...**

Having said goodbye to his comrades with the vow to avenge their deaths, Steve had swum out of the water, the tears he shed being washed away by the water. He got to the shore, the pouch containing that chip still strapped to his waist. This was now his evidence, the one thing he knew would bring down the people associated with this incident. This had to be some very damning evidence about something, reason why they wanted all the evidence removed, including them. His team.

He climbed back into the bush, dragging his busted leg, but he could not stop and think about that now. He had to survive, he had work to do. He went to a different spot than the one they had used to rest, sat down. Taking a breath, he looked at his leg now, and yeah, it was bad.

He did what he could with it, applied some herbs he could find in the jungle and rested for a while. He knew he was being followed, the Chinese should be closing in on him by now, but he had managed to evade them for now. Hoping his luck would hold out, he marked the place he was resting, took note of the coordinates, and dug a hole there quickly. He buried the pouch in the hole and covered the place with grass. If he got caught with this chip, somehow, he knew he would not live long enough to know what was going on here.

He got off the ground and made his way further into the jungle, he may have left a trail because of his leg or something, because before he knew it he was staring at the barrel of a gun. A Chinese solder was looking at him with a serious look on his face. He looked to be in no mood for jokes, well neither was Steve. Being taken alive was not an option, if he didn't want to survive so badly, he would have shot himself, but he couldn't, he had to live. He had work to do.

At this point he was surrounded. He didn't get a chance to argue his case or do anything for that matter before he felt a pain at the back of his head and the light went out on him.

...

 **Present day-10 days.**

"Where is it?" Someone said, it took him long to try and focus on the voice and his surroundings.

"Where is it?" The million-dollar question came again. If only his head could stop hurting enough for him to start to think.

'What the hell were they talking about?' His drugged disoriented mind tried to think. He had been tortured for days, and this was the first time they were asking him anything. He had survived on dried bread and water, then when he was done with his one meal a day, the torture would continue. He would pass out sometimes and wish to die. At that point he would wish to die, but death wouldn't come. He had forgotten why he was even here, how he got here and why he was being tortured. Thoughts of his previous missions where he had been captured and tortured merged into his current thoughts, thinking this was one of them. He forgot his resolve to survive. He only wished they would kill him.

However, they had not broken him yet, whatever it was they wanted from him, they would never get, because he knew he will never tell. The resolve to never talk was deeply ingrained in his mind more than the torture they were inflicting on him. He could never break. They might as well kill him for all the information they were going to get out of him, which was nothing. Their technic was really good, that's why torture at the hands of the Chinese was legendary. They had the best record of breaking a suspect and that's why it was never advisable to get caught by the Chinese intelligence, death was the better option. They tortured him without saying anything, not asking anything, so that finally when he got the chance to speak, he would say anything that came to his mind. Anything to appease them, anything to get them to stop. And each time he thought maybe this time they are going to ask me, maybe I will get the chance to say something, the torture only continued. There seemed to be no end to the darkness, the pain. Ten days seemed like ten years in hell. He wouldn't have got himself caught alive had he not had a more pressing reason to survive. He could not just die like that when his comrades had sacrificed for him to live. He remembered now. Avenge their deaths. He had to survive.

"Where is it?" The question came again

"What the hell are you talking about?!" He tried to yell but his throat was dry, all that came out was a croak.

The two goons just looked at each other and nodded, the torture started again, and he screamed, after a while the light went out on him again. He passed out.

...

CSU had provided no evidence to support that this was nothing other than an accidental gas leak. Danny had nothing to go on except a hunch, his gut feeling that all was not as it seemed. The guy had died by suffocation, which was consistent with gas suffocation, gas inhalation. True, but then the CIA were nothing but thorough and he could not shake the feeling that this had them written all over it. If only he had more evidence.

Now he just stared at the photo of the dead guy on the computer screen and sighed. There was something here and he was not about to let it go.

"Danny, the blood results are back, and you need to see this." Tani said as she walked into the computer room, Junior behind her.

"It turns out, there was a trace of some drug found in the blood. Noelani said she didn't know yet what the drug was, it was sure rare, but it has some paralysis agent in it. She said…she said it was consistent with a neurotoxic venom of a snake. There was a trace of something else in his system too and Noelani is still looking into that. Do you think it's anything to go by?" Tani said.

"Anything to go by? Guys, you may have just got us our one lead so far." Danny said with renewed energy, accompanied with another douse of fear. At this rate, he was sure to develop an ulcer after all. If this had anything to do with Steve, then he was in a shit load of trouble. So, the guy had been drugged. This was his one lead, his one proof that he wasn't crazy. Now he just had to connect the dots to Steve, because they were connected alright.

"What else did you find on the guy? When did he get on the Island?" Lou asked  
"Well, according to the passport we found, he flew in ten days ago. From DC. " Junior said

"Ha!" Jerry said and then cowered from the stares he got from that one comment. "I'm just saying, he flew from DC." He defended, like that explained everything.

Danny could be going crazy but, he had had the very same reaction to that piece of geographical information as Jerry, on the inside, of course.

"What, just because it's where the White House is doesn't mean..." Lou said.

"It doesn't mean anything. Yet." Danny said. "The guy was obviously drugged and whoever drugged him either followed him here or it was someone already waiting for him here. "

"My bet is he caught a tail, got himself some mental and muscle numbing juice, got killed a few days after spilling the beans of whatever he was being tailed for." Lou said, getting on board.

"So, you really think this is some kind of a CIA assassination plot?" Tani asked incredulously.

"I admit I was a bit skeptical when Danny first suggested it but now, it's looking more and more like it. I mean the guy is too clean, nobody is that clean." Lou said.

"Yeah well, except for the scars on his body." Danny deadpanned. Their vic was squeaky clean on paper, at least the papers presented to them. His body however, spoke a very different story. "Let's get the flight manifest on when he boarded the plane to Hawaii. His tail would most likely be on the same plane or the one that followed after. Look for any suspicious characters. Not too suspicious though. Look for the guy sitting next to him behind or in front of him on the plane closely. Someone who doesn't have much luggage, they won't be looking too suspicious so don't cross off anyone on the merits of them being too ordinary. Ordinary is what they aim for. I've sent the photo to Joe, if the guy was ever in the military Joe will get us his true identity. I've got to go follow up a lead." Danny said, walking out.

"Finally, a CIA conspiracy case, this can lead up to a number of things. Terrorists, assassination attempts." Jerry said excitedly, and then whispered conspiratorially, "Of the President of the United States."

"Jerry, get back to work," Lou admonished, "This would be right in your wheel house if only it were a conspiracy involving JF Kennedy. This isn't it. You have got to let that one go bro." Lou said. "This is a normal case, let's work it like a normal case."

"Well, what if it's not? What if Jerry is right? The way Danny is thinking… Do you really think it's safe to be pocking around CIA territory? We might all end up dead." Tani said

"Really? You too Tani? This is a normal case, besides, if it's a crime then it has to be solved, no matter who is involved. I keep forgetting you guys are still rookies, but the job can sometimes get very dirty and very dangerous. You have got to be all in." Lou said. Especially when it seemed Steve might be involved. He didn't say it, the team still didn't know because between him and Danny, they were not even that sure yet. Maybe Steve was alive, maybe he was dead, maybe he would walk into the room anytime from now, he didn't know. Only that he was in trouble, according to Danny's intuition. And now his own intuition was catching on too, especially with all this telltale evidence.

...

Joe cursed out loud as he saw the photo he had received from Danny. He knew that guy. He went by Mayfield, and now he was dead. Shit!

Now he knew beyond any reasonable doubt that Steve was in trouble. Big trouble, if he wasn't already dead. If Mayfield was involved, which apparently, he was, then this was pretty bad.

Mayfield was one of the big guys, and he was Steve's Black Ops top guy. If an Op involved Mayfield, then it was likely to be fatally dangerous. And his Ops were not always the clean ones. If there was ever an honorable assassin, then Mayfield was it. His stance of honor and his deadliness had earned him a reputation. Not that he was widely known on a large scale, because he wouldn't be that good if he was that out in the open. No, only the elite had the privileged to know and work with Mayfield. He was the best at what he did, and those who knew him feared him. Now he was dead. This had just gone to hell in a hand basket.

Who could have killed him? Who was that good? Chances of finding a guy like that were next to zero. Not if Mayfield had been executed, which he clearly was. Joe snorted, 'Gas leak my foot'. If that was a gas leak accident, then he was the Queen of England.

He had to get to Hawaii pronto. This had become dangerous really fast. If Mayfield was executed in Hawaii it meant he was on the run, maybe wanted to out some's info to someone. To Steve? No, Steve was on his team, so he would not be running to him knowing very well that he had sent him on a dirty mission, the scumbag. Maybe he knew someone he could tell, someone who could do something about something. Who?

If Mayfield had sent his team on a mission, which was quickly looking like an unsanctioned mission, since no one knew anything about it; If they had known they would have told Joe, he was in the 'in circle' of the classifieds. Now Mayfield was dead, in Hawaii, that meant his secret Op had gone South and Steve had gone with it.

He had to get to Hawaii right away. Stop this whole thing before it became dangerous, at least stop Danny from poking around anymore. Their enemy was more real now than ever, and it was a dangerous enemy. Made more so because they didn't know who their enemy was, he was a shadow, but he knew them. Knew who they were, and they were exposing themselves further by asking questions. If this thing was so sensitive Mayfield had to go? Then anyone associated or found to be associating themselves with this would not be that difficult to get rid of. Accidents could get arranged pretty quickly and convincingly no one would ever have a clue what really happened. That's the way it was supposed to be, and Danny finding loopholes in Mayfield's accident will make him a target really fast. He and everyone associated with this case. He had to make him let it go. He had to let it go, for the sake of his family and his team.

...

 **See you in a bit.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8- Unfolding.**

 **Hey guys, thanks for the following and the likes, really appreciate them, and the reviews- a lot. Here's another one, i hope you like.**

...

 **Ramblers in the wilderness we can't find what we need**  
 **We get a little restless from the searching**  
 **Get a little worn down in between**  
 **Like a bull chasing the matador is the man left to his own schemes**  
 **Everybody needs someone beside em' shining like a lighthouse from the sea- Need to breathe.**

 **...**

He crossed the dots, tried to work out that equation, how it could link with that one. How that guy got drugged, why he was here, how many of them were here and how did this link with Steve's mission?

"Damn it!" Danny cursed in frustration, throwing the pen away. Damn it all, this was not making any sense. The flight manifest was finally here, there was nothing suspicious on any of the passengers on the plane. Everyone seemed normal, including their vic. Only he wasn't, and he wasn't the only one with something to hide on that plane. Someone had drugged him, and evidence was starting to show that a fellow passenger on that same plane had done the did. Who? That was the question, Find that guy, find answers and maybe find out where Steve was. Whether he was dead or alive. God!

He sighed and buried his head in his hands for a moment. Where are you Steve? Where are you?

If only Joe had gotten back to him with an answer about the photo he had sent him. A name. Something. Anything, DAMN IT! But, the guy had gone quiet after that, his phone was no longer reachable. Damn, he hoped he had not got in trouble too. He hoped he, the old Navy frogman was still alive, if only he could answer his damn phone.

Then his doorbell rang at that moment and he went to answer it, his gun in his hand. These were looking to be dark times and one could never be too careful. He peeked first and sighed in relief as he saw who was on the door.

He opened the door. "What, you don't answer my phone calls all day and you suddenly show up on my door step from nowhere? Don't tell me you're practicing to be Santa Joe, because this would be a really bad time." Danny ranted

"Easy, I couldn't answer my phone because, well I was on my way here. Surprise." Joe said

Danny walked back into his living room, leaving Joe to follow.

"Your kids are not here, are they?" Joe asked

"They are with their mother, I figured this was fast becoming dangerous territory."

"You figured right. As a matter of fact Danny, that's the reason I'm here. No?" Joe said seriously.

"Ok, talk." Danny said, folding his arms on his chest, looking at Joe knowingly, expectantly.

"The guy whose photo you sent me? He is bad news."

"You know him? Joe, I have been cracking my head here all day trying to figure…"

"Don't. Don't try to figure out anything anymore Danny. It's dangerous now…"

"What are you saying, stop trying to figure out anything? What about Steve? I'm trying to figure out anything to get him back and you're standing there telling me…."

"Let it go Danny. It has become too dangerous."

Danny sighed in anger and exasperation, "Joe, you better tell me what the hell is going on here. What did you find?"

Joe walked to Danny's fridge and helped himself to a beer, he got one for Danny too. "Drink up, you're going to need it." Joe said, placing the beer on the table and taking a seat on the couch.

"Tell me what the hell is going on Joe?"

Joe guzzled down his drink, before he sighed, not knowing where to start. As he was to Steve a surrogate father, Danny was to Steve a surrogate brother. And they both loved Steve as any real parent and as any real brother would. That's why this was so hard to say. Because it was going to hurt. But Danny had a family, he had kids who depended on and loved him. Joe could not stand there and watch him risk it all, because Danny would. For Steven.

"This guy, his name is Mayfield, or at least that's the name he goes by. He was the head of Black Ops and not only that, he is a highly decorated assassin, the best of the best. And now he's dead."

"What are you saying? Did he not know about the Op…?"

"My guess is he did. If Steve told you that this Op was dangerous in a manner that you said he had then it was probably from Mayfield. Now, the issue here is I don't think this op was legit and so…well things may have gone sideways and someone felt there was a need to get rid of Mayfield to… Well, things must have gone south. What I am saying is this has become dangerous, probably at an international level. And the guys involved, they are the type that would get rid of anyone, and I mean, anyone who could be found interested in any of this. In anyway."

"What, so you are saying we just…what, give up?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying Danny. These people …."

"Which people, Joe? What do you know?" Danny was losing patience with Joe's carefully worded explanation.

"I know that you need to let this go. Stop asking questions and stop… just stop everything."

"Stop looking for Steve? Is that what you're saying? Just let it all go, let bygones be bygones? If he's dead or alive, captured somewhere, trying to get home, hoping that someone will come and get him,… just let that all go. Let him realize that no one cares enough to come for him, no one cares at all to look for him, to know if he's dead or alive? You're a piece of work Joe. You're like a father to Steve, how you can say that…?"

"Because you have a family Danny, and Steve would be the first one, the very first to tell you to let this go, because these people would come after your whole clan even your dog if they even believed they knew the tiniest detail about any of this. You've got to think about your family, Danny. Think about Grace and Charlie. Think about Rachel. Yeah, because they would not care that you're divorced, if they can associate her with you they will get rid of her too. Think of the team…"

"I've kept the team out of this, except for Lou…"

"And he's got a family too. Danny you've got to let this go. Let it be ruled an accident and let it go."

Danny stood up and started pacing, this was not the conversation he ever thought he would be having with the old sailor. How could he just write Steve off?!

"And you? Are you going to let this go too?' Danny asked, and Joe might have hesitated a moment too late. "I didn't think so." Danny said. "So, how could you ask me to let it go? Just like that. I can't do that, Joe. I have got to bring him home, and if he's dead l'll bring his dead body home, alright? So, you better tell me your plan because I'm not letting this go." Danny said stubbornly.

"I knew you were stubborn Danny but this is…."

"Is my choice Joe. And I'm not letting this go. So far, we haven't objected CSU's ruling on this being an accident and any of the evidence we have found we've kept under wraps."

"You do know they can pick up on any traces of anyone pocking around in their database, right?"

"We haven't been through their database, we've been careful."

"Ok, Danny." Joe sighed and stood up. "Have it your way, but be careful please. We'll do this the right way without leaving any traces. Ok?"

"Ok," Dany agreed, now they were on the same page. "Where are you staying?"

"I'm going to go check into a hotel."

"You can stay here, I have room. Or better yet, why don't you stay at Steve's? There's plenty of room and maybe you can poke around and try to find any clues I might have missed. God knows I've rummaged that house for even the tiniest clue of where he could have gone, I found nothing. Surprise huh? I'll call Junior that you're coming." Danny said.

"Alright. Sure. Ok, then. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." Danny said, walking Joe to the door.

After seeing Joe out, he could not go back to what he was doing, much less go to sleep. He suddenly felt suffocated and he needed some air. A walk, at the beach. He still hated the beach but now it reminded him of Steve. Or better yet, the bridge. His favorite place in Hawaii, his thinking, brooding place. The place he had last seen and talked to Steve.

He found himself there, he had walked there thinking. The conversation with Joe still playing in his mind.

 _"They will come after your whole clan Danny. Everyone one associated with you. Think of your kids. Think of Grace, think of Charlie. Think of Rachel. They won't care if you're divorced, if at all they think she is associated with you they will get rid of her. Think of the team."_

He shook his head. He could not lie, what Joe had said had filled him with fear. Fear for his family ,for his team, fear for Steve. He stood out there alone at the bridge with this hanging over his head. Assassins, international level talks circling around him. The way that Joe had spoken, he made it seem like even he didn't believe that Steve was still alive.

Like, if this Mayfield was dead then Steve was obviously dead too. But, if Steve was dead, there still should be someone who could show them his body, right? The whole SEAL team can't all be dead, right? Some will come back home, and…and what?

He stayed there for the better part of the night, not sure if he would be able to sleep if he went back home. Why did this feel like Mattie all over again? Why did it….?

His head dropped off his shoulders as all strength left him, he could not think like that. He had to believe that Steve was still alive. He was out there somewhere. Where? If only he had given him a clue. Something he could go on. Some kind of clue in case he needed to find him.

 _"If ever you feel a need to come find me, look inside."_ Danny remembered that statement from Steve. It had sounded so out of character and meaningless at a time like that.

Danny had dismissed it as stupid sentiment, had even called him out on it.

 _"Look inside where Steve? My heart? That's something you say to a kid when their father is going to die. I think I'm a little too old for that."_

But Steve had repeated the same statement with a sad smile on his face. _"Look inside Danny."_

Now it was starting to not seem so stupid.

He remembered an even earlier conversation when he and Steve had been arguing, as usual. Steve had been speeding and Danny had been pissed.

 _"Alright, forget about me for a second, but do you ever think that you could really get yourself killed with this your recklessness, Steven?"_

 _"Don't worry, Danno, if I am about to die, l'll be sure to give you clue."_

A clue.

 _"Look inside Danny. Look inside."_ It kept repeating in his mind now, like he could actually hear Steve's own voice telling him.

 _'Look inside.'_

"Inside where? Damn it, Steven?" Danny said out loud in frustration.

He remembered when Steve had told him those words, he had given him his dog tags.

 _Look inside….I'll be sure to give you a clue….look inside Danny…_

"Son of a bitch!"

Danny cursed in realization. Taking off the dog tags from around his neck to study them in new found wonder.

He looked for a clue, feeling on the fastening for anything odd. One tag was perfectly sealed, but one had an opening. It was like a locket that you could open. A locket you can put a photo or something inside of. Something like a clue.

"Son of a bitch!" He curse again, as he pried the thing open. And sure, to his thinking, the thing opened.

And in it was a memory card. A chip. His clue.

Son of a freaking bitch! That SEAL was a genius!

….

Pete emptied the rest of the contents from Mayfield's bag into the fire. This was all of it, passports, various ID cards and whatever so called evidence he might have had in that bag, all into the fire. He threw the bag into the fire too, let it all burn. He sat back and took a sip of his drink, taking in the grand beauty of forests and water. Hawaii was a beautiful place, but as soon as he was done here he was off back to DC. Hoping this was the last of this incident to be taken care of, he didn't want women and children involved in these cleanups, as much as that was his job, he still felt better if he could avoid that. This had actually been too easy. Mayfield had underestimated him as a simple business guy with girl problems, flying to Hawaii for some business and of course, some side business. The guy had not known what had hit him. Dead mistake for not paying too close attention to the person right next to him on a Plane. He should have known better than that, or was Pete just too good.

He made the call.

"It's done." Pete said as soon as the call was answered.

"Good. I have another assignment for you." The voice on the other end said. He prepared himself to make another trip, or another killing. It didn't matter who.

…

Happy place, happy place, happy place, he chanted inside his head, trying to psych himself into thinking about anything other than the place he was in now. The torture, the darkness, the endlessness of it all. Happy place. That was his way of trying to cope but today he was finding it very difficult.

Steve screamed as he felt a very hot something searing the flesh on his back. He screamed from the absolute bottom of his soul, of pain and hopelessness.

God, when was this going to end? At times like these he was ready to give up and die. Give up on the revenge, give up on seeing his friends and family, his beloved Hawaii again. Just die. If only it were that easy.

Happy place happy place happy place. He had thought of his Dad, and he had wanted to follow him to the grave, and that wasn't helping. He thought of his mom and how right now she could be the one being tortured or torturing somebody due to the nature of her job. And that didn't help either. Thinking about Catherine brought back that same fear, she was in the same business as his mom. Same business as he. His family was so screwed up, idiots all, for God and country and all that drek. But it was a family of ninjas as Danny would always say. Rambo family, if not them- then who? Funny he found the thought uncomforting at the moment.

Danny, now he could think about him. Think about Grace and Charlie, he was their Uncle Steve. Now all he could think about was how he might never see them again. Well, that didn't help either.

Mary, his sister was the only one in the family who was safe at the moment, at least he could hope so. And he could think about her and Joanie.

Another searing hot pain had him screaming again, bringing him back from his happy place.

...

 **Brother let me be your shelter**  
 **Never leave you all alone**  
 **I can be the one you call**  
 **When you're low**  
 **Brother let me be your fortress**  
 **When the night winds are driving on**  
 **Be the one to light the way**  
 **Bring you home.**

...

 **See you in a bit.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- A little unsteady.**

 **Hey guys- Thanks for the reviews, i really appreciate them. They motivate me to write. Here's another one, i hope you like.**

 **Cheers!**

 **...**

 **Face down in the desert now there's a cage locked around my heart**  
 **I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were**  
 **Now my hands can't reach that far**  
 **I ain't made for a rivalry, I could never take the world alone**  
 **I know that in my weakness I am stronger**  
 **It's your love that brings me home**

...

After going through the contents of the card, Danny made a call to Joe.

"Hello."

"I know where Steve is Joe. You got to get here quick."

Ten minutes later Joe was knocking on his door, but he wasn't alone. Junior was right behind him.

"So much for wanting to protect the team, Joe. Thanks so much." Danny said with sarcasm, letting them both inside the house.

"I didn't know he was as stubborn as y'all. Is that how you hire people on this team?" Joe said

"Detective Williams, Commander White, with all due respect sirs,, I could not just sit back and continue to pretend that I didn't know what was going on here. I had to help." Junior said.

"Oh yeah? What's going on here?" Danny asked, still trying to keep the secret.

"Commander McGarrett is missing. I know that much, and you could use my help. I happen to have some experience in black ops too. I'm Navy, remember?"

"How can I forget?" Danny said with a grimace.

"Contrary to what you may think son, this is not your typical black ops. It's…" Joe said to Junior.

"I know, now it may involve the CIA and we don't know who else, it's dangerous, and it's high stakes, I get that. But don't you go on thinking that you could go on a rescue mission and leave me out of it." Junior said stubbornly.

"Me, neither." Tani said, walking in.

"Oh, just great, where did you come from? Joe, you had to bring the whole clan?" Danny complained in exacerbation.

"It wasn't Joe bro, it was me. They got suspicious and I had to tell them. As you can guess, they want in." Lou said, walking in too, with Jerry behind him.

Danny made a sour face, "Sure, please make yourselves at home." He said with sarcasm. Some had already found some places to sit, some helping themselves to beer. The entire 5-0 team settled in, awaiting Danny's briefing.

"I'll help with Tech." Jerry said, walking in to sit on the couch. He popped his beer and took a swig.

"I can't believe you kept this from us, Danny. We want to help too." Tani complained. 'McGarrett said we're ohana- family.'

"I didn't deliberately keep it from you at first. I didn't have anything to go on than a hunch and I could not put the whole team in a panic over nothing. Now that we have something concrete, at least I hope its concrete, I want Joe to give you guys the same lecture he gave me. The floor is your Joe." Danny said.

"Fine, what I told Danny about two hours ago is that he had to let this go. As you can see, he didn't listen." Joe said.

"Oh, you really thought he would?' Lou asked incredulously, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, what I said to him was, the enemy had become bigger; bigger than we all could ever have imagined. And poking into this thing, let's just say, it's at the risk of your lives and everyone you love. That said.: are you still sure you want to go ahead with this?" Joe asked.

"We have been here before, I don't know about Tani and Junior since they are still new on the team but what they have to know is, this team will risk everything for each other. However, it's up to you guys to decide." Lou said.

"As much as that is true Lou, you have to take into account that this time, it's not Wo Fat you're dealing with. Yeah, as dangerous as that guy was, he might as well be a kid in grade school compared to these guys. This is not your typical Mafia or serial killers. This is THE Government. This is a guy behind a guy behind a bunch of other higher-ups whose identities we don't know. These guys are shadows. They don't exist. You can't see them, but they see you. And everyone connected to you. You have to rethink this." Joe said

The room was quiet for a moment.

"My answer is not going to change, man." Lou said.

"I'm in too." Junior said.

"I'll help with Tech." Jerry repeated hesitantly.

"You've already said that Jerry but bear in mind that that doesn't put you in the clear. Every print you leave on your hacks can be traced back to you and before you know it, bam, wham, your name is engraved on a tombstone accompanied buy the words, 'beloved son and friend'." Danny said to Jerry's chagrin.

"He's just trying to scare you, Jerry." Junior said with a toothy smile.

"Protect. The word is 'protect'." Danny said.

"I know, and thanks for the concern, Danny, but I will be careful. Trust me, you're going to need me to be running Tech for you. The untraceable kind." Jerry said with renewed conviction.

One other person in the room had not said anything yet since Joe's scary speech. Tani could risk her life for the team, she would. She didn't like the idea but the whole 'being a cop' thing meant risking your life for humanity, what better than to risk it for Steve, a dear friend, aside from everything else? She didn't want to leave her brother Kua alone in this world. They have only had each other ever since she could remember, and it wasn't an easy decision to leave him alone. But she would do it, if it came to that. But the thought of her brother being killed, because of her. Because of this? Made her want to vomit. If ever her brother was caught and used as leverage against her she would recant any vows she ever took in order to save his life. And that was not a good thing for a team. Maybe she was not material for this team. Because she didn't know if she wouldn't sell them all out if it meant saving her brother. She was hesitant.

She went out to the balcony for a moment. She needed a moment, some air.

Danny followed her with a beer, handing it to her he stood next to her on the balcony, looking unseeingly at the garden at the back of his house. He sighed before he spoke.

"You know Steve and I are close, right? He is as real a brother to me as any blood of mine. And there is nothing I wouldn't do for him. He's the only brother I have left and ever since I lost Mattie, he has become more so. Now I know that everyone else have their own reasons for wanting to risk everything for him, but that's mine. That's my reason. I won't be doing this for Steve only, no. The more selfish reason here is I'll be doing this for myself. The thought of losing him is driving me insane. When I lost Mattie, it was like losing a limb, like losing a part of myself. And I don't know how I'll be able to go through that a second time. That's why I have to hold on to the hope that he's still alive somewhere out there, and the thought, the chance I've been given to do something about it is more than I could have ever hoped for. More than anything, I completely understand how you feel about your brother. I won't judge you on it. In fact, I'd feel better if I didn't get everyone involved in this. In case it goes south."

"No, I want to go rescue Steve. God, I hope he's alive. I just…I don't know if…Where are you going to hide Grace and Charlie?" She asked hesitantly.

"At the moment we're just being cautious but, there is a safe house that Joe has organized. My family and Lou's family are going to stay there for as long as this thing will be going on. Your brother can join them too. It's just a precaution incase this turns out to be as big as we think it is. You can stay and help run Tech with Jerry from there." Danny said.

"No, no I'll go. I just had to get my head straight but I'm coming with you."Tani said. "Do you have any idea where we will be going?"

"China, Steve left us a map on that chip and Jerry is working on it right now. It's most likely going to be a Chinese military base or a black site if he was captured. There is not much to go on but, well, now we have a start, right?" Danny said with a hopeful smile.

"Right." Tani said and sighed in despair.

He drew her in for a hug. "Your brother will be safe with the others at the safehouse. He won't be alone." Danny said in reassurance, before they both went back inside. He was grateful to her for doing this, grateful to everyone. He knew how much they were risking, but he felt a lot better going with his team.

…

 _"Steve, it seems we caught a case. There has been a murder at the beach, someone killed an agent or something where those supermodels are doing a photo shoot." Lou said, walking into the office._

 _"Wait, you had me on supermodels." Steve said, his eyes lighting up._

 _"Oh, come on, not you too." Lou said_

 _"Me too." Junior said excitedly. His eyes as bight and wide as Steve's._

 _Tani rolled her eyes, "Men." She grunted with an exaggerated grunt and eyeroll._

 _"Now, tell me what happened." Steve said, he got the rest on the info from Lou._

 _He started to make a phone call._

 _"Now just who are you calling?" Lou asked._

 _"This involves supermodels Lou. Who do you think?" Steve quipped._

 _"Danny." Tani volunteered._

 _"Don't bother a man when he is on his off day,Steve. He is at Rachel's right now, babysitting his kids for her again. You know how he is when he's got one of those days. Let the man try and woo his ex-wife in peace." Lou said._

 _"Believe me, if I don't call him on this in, I'll be in big trouble. Bro code,man." Steve said with the phone on his ear._

 _"Put it on speaker, put it on speaker." Lou said with an evil grin as they all now gathered around the table._

 _The call went through._

 _"Steven, if this is nothing to do with terrorists or something involving mass casualties, I really can't come to work right now. Because I took a day! You do know what that's means right?" That was Danny's answer to the phone call._

 _Steve matched Lou's evil grin but kept his tone even, almost bored._ _"Well sorry buddy, but I just wanted to let you know that we caught a case. Some supermodels were doing a photo shoot down on Waiiki at the beach and someone got murdered. I won't be in the office…"_

 _"Supermodels?" Danny asked curiously, not letting Steve finish his explanation._

 _Lou and Junior snickered and Tani rolled her eyes again._

 _"Danny, I did say someone got murdered." Steve said in his most serious tone._

 _"You also said supermodels. Text me the address, you might need my help." Danny said unabashed._

 _Steve was having a hard time trying not to laugh as he made faces at Lou, "Oh no. We got it. You have your day, buddy. I'll tell you the details when we get back."_

 _"You got it? Oh,you got it." Danny snorted on the phone. Steve could actually picture him pacing around his house, one hand holding the phone to his ear, the other waving around to make a point. "Steven, these are supermodels we're talking about and I hate to break it to you buddy, but you're weird around pretty girls."_

 _"What? Women love me." Steve bragged, with a smirk._

 _"No, face it Steve, you are a choir boy when it comes to women. You're no different than Lou. Lou would be looking out for Renee the whole time. Afraid he'll get caught."_

 _Lou was about to make an outraged comment and Steve shushed him, they listened some more._

 _"After the whole case is over, Lou would turn himself in to Renee. Confess to looking a little over a minute at a pretty woman who is not his wife." Danny continued._

 _Tani was clamping her mouth now, laughing. She didn't make a noise though, they were not to give themselves away until Danny was done with his rant._

 _"And don't even get me started on Junior." Danny said._

 _Junior made a 'what did I do'? look, that almost broke the older SEAL's composure._

 _"Oh yeah? What about Junior?" Steve encouraged , stiffling his laughter._

 _"Junior will be fumbling around the whole time. I bet he won't be able to string two words together to make a sentence. I'll be surprised if he even gets a word out of his mouth. He'll be star struck."_

 _Steve could not hold it any longer, he burst out laughing. So did everyone else._

 _"Steven, do not tell me you have me on speaker." Danny said suspiciously._

 _"Got'ya buddy." Steve said._

 _"Daniel Williams, I will have you know that I'm not afraid of Renee." Lou said in comic indignation._

 _"Oh, come on Lou. Tell me right now you're not going to confess to Renee when you get home." Danny defended._

 _"I'm a married man, you of all people know how wives can be. Don't judge." Lou said indignantly._

 _"And there you have it folks." Danny announced._

 _"And I fumble around…?' Junior asked indignantly too._

 _"Junior, don't get me started. If you weren't such a chicken, you wouldn't still be playing footsy with Tani right now." Danny said. "By now you could be…"_

 _"Danny!" Tanni screamed with indignation._

 _"Damn it Steven! How many people do you have in there? Tani too?" Danny asked in horror realizing that Tani was present too. Steve had pranked him good this time. Thank God he did not got to finish his statement to Junior._

 _"Everyone." Steve said, laughing._

 _"Now we all know what you think of us." Jerry said._

 _"Jerry, you should be my only friend right now, I never said anything about you." Dany said._

 _"From now on be careful Danno. I'm going to record all our conversations. I'm sure i can make a lot of money selling them." Steve said._

 _"Or blackmail." Lou said, laughing._

 _"I'm gonna get you for this. Just text me the details." Danny said, exasperated._

 _"I thought you were still trying to woo your ex-wife." Lou said_

 _"Woo is the word and it hasn't been easy. Right now, I'm still in the friend zone."_

 _"Are you sure you should be stepping out with supermodels at a delicate time like this?" Steve asked_

 _"I'm not stepping out on anybody, it's just an insurance. One can never be too sure with Rachel. One minute you think you're making progress the next she's married to a business tycoon and sailing off to Hawaii with my daughter. Text me the address. I'll meet you there." Danny ranted._

 _"What about the kids."_

 _"She's got them. Address please."_

That was a happy moment that just came into his mind at a time of torture. Instead of screaming, Steve laughed. His tormentors may have thought they had done a great job in breaking him. He had finally gone insane. He laughed even louder. Well, maybe he was losing it.

….

 **Brother let me be your fortress**  
 **When the night winds are driving on**  
 **Be the one to light the way**  
 **Bring you home- needtobreathe.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10- touch base...**

 **Hey guys, thanks again for the reviews, keep 'em coming. Here's another one, i hope you like.**

 **...**

 **Face down in the desert now there's a cage locked around my heart**  
 **I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were**  
 **Now my hands can't reach that far**  
 **I ain't made for a rivalry, I could never take the world alone**  
 **I know that in my weakness I am stronger**  
 **It's your love that brings me home- brother.**

...

Getting into China was not an easy gig, not when you were trying to avoid the border patrol. Chinese air space was tricky, and they had mad surveillance Tech on both ground and air, it was near impossible to get in discreetly. But they had done it, they had been pretty resourceful, he had to give them that. That's why he should not at this point underestimate any of them. He learned that a long time ago. In fact, that's how he got most of his targets. Get them to underestimate him, but he never underestimated them. It gave him a world of an advantage. Pete crouched down as he surveilled the team, they were now making their way into the jungle. If he would just be patient enough, some of the traps in there will kill one or two of them and his work will be much easier. The Chinese were big on booby traps. The kind that kill. He could have killed his targets when he had gotten the assignment, back home. But away from home was way better. No trace, what happens in China stays in China. These four will be just like the eight he wasted in the sea. He was that good, and this was child's play to him.

…

They had to cross the desert, on horse backs. Danny will never complain about humid Hawaiian heat again. Now they were crossing the juggle, another of his worst places. Jungles. Steve was so going to owe him when they found him and get him home. He was going to pay for the Pizza and drinks. When they find him. They will find him, and they will talk about this over beer, just like they did the last time they pulled this kind of rescue on him before. Countless times they had come for Steve's rescue, in near similar impossible situations, but they had got him back. No matter what it was, be it Wo Fat, or the Taliban, countless times they had brought him back home. And talked and laughed over the matter over beer while he recovered. Of course, there were going to be injuries, Danny was not going to be so naïve as to ignore that possibility, that reality in fact. But he was not going to be that much of a realist to let the thought of Steve's dead body lying somewhere in the land of China enter his mind. He wasn't there yet, he could not let a thought like that stay in his mind. Steve was alive, and they were going to get him back, alive. Anything else was not acceptable. The hope of finding him alive was the only thing left, and he was holding on to it like a lifeline. He had to be alive and they were going to find him.

…

 **The Table.**

"Someone is pocking around."

"I know, I have someone working on it, not to worry."

"Not to worry. General, this thing is closing in on us. Lots of people are asking questions. The other day, one of the team's wives, I hear, and a Detective something, went to the Navy base to ask about that op."

"An op that nobody knows about, an op that nobody can answer to, because Mayfield is dead. He was our only worry. "

"He was not our only worry. He was the least. General, these people have families, they got people who care about them. Some people won't stop until they get closure. Don't underestimate them. And now they've gone to China to pock around some more."

"They are all dead. And if anyone else tries to get closure by pocking around in international affairs, then they are dead too. And for your own information, the young lady Lt. who was asking about this op just had a fatal car accident. She shouldn't have taken that Detective and that widow seriously. Should have just written them off as two meth heads high on crack and dismissed the matter. Should have kept the questions to herself. Too bad, she was quite pretty."

"We can't keep killing people just because they know a little something that isn't even of any relevance. What information do they have?"

"Cut the grass when it's still short, that's my motto. Take the root out, so no seed of trouble can come and follow us later. They have to go."

"More people will ask questions then, and that's the last thing we want. Let them go to China, let them ask questions they will never find answers, because no one is there to answer them. With any luck, the Chinese will take them out of the equation for us. Regardless, everyone who knows anything about this is rotting at the bottom of the sea or in the belly of a fish, in China. These fools will find nothing, come back home with their question which they can not do anything about. They have proof of nothing. They will die in their old age, without any closure. Just don't pile up anymore bodies, General."

"I am not in the business of torturing people with feeling, Mr. Secretary. I'm in the business of making problems disappear. If my guy gets a clean shot, he's going to take it."

…..

Steve was either dead or captured, and the reason why they had come all this way was because they were hoping and praying for the latter. Now, if that was the case, then he would not be lunching at a Chinese military base having a cocktail or having been recruited in the army to be one of them. He would be at one of their black sites, and thanks to his intel, Joe knew exactly which one. He knew people, people who knew things about things. Joe led the way to the underground black site, using tunnels that he had once used on an op many years ago. If they stayed real quiet and sleek, they should get out in and out with minimal problems. The downside of an extremely secret site like this was that it wasn't heavily guarded. It was supposed to be that secret, only a handful of people would know about it. That was an upside for them right now. Between him and the team, they could sure take down a handful of ninja, kungfu trained Chinese agents, right? With the element of surprise on their side, he sure prayed they could.

To their surprise, the bunker seemed deserted, but of course that didn't mean anything was as it seemed. They searched the bunker, searching for prisoners, tunnel by tunnel. There were three rooms, in three different tunnels. Danny took a moment to admire the design. The trouble people went through to hide stuff. Amazing. Yes, Joe had said this place would not be heavily guarded, but this was a little too quiet. Still they stuck to their routine checks, quietly. No guards, no prisoners, there was no one. The bunker was empty. Great. Their only lead was a dead end. What did that mean? Steve was dead? Steve was dead, wasn't he? There was one room, the room in which they stood now, which looked like the place where all the action happened. There was a chair, ropes, and some tools. Torture tools, knives with different teeth. This was the torture room; and if Steve had ever been here then this was possibly where he had been held, tortured, and maybe even killed. No one said anything, no one even uttered the obvious, and the despair in the room was palpable. Danny hunched over his knees in despair, this was not happening. They could not just get back home empty handed like this. No Steve, not even his body. No closure. The reality of this was starting to hit him with full force.

…

Pete followed, seeing everything. Everyone. What exactly had they thought they were going to find in here? No one had survived that massacre at the sea, his massacre. He had made sure of that. Now, where these fools were getting their Intel from, he didn't know but it was really bogus. And now they were going to die for it. They should have left well alone, this was all for nothing, for them. If he possessed even the smallest piece of heart, he would feel pity, just seeing the looks on their faces. He'll put them all out of their misery soon enough. One by one, discreetly; one broken neck after another. He could not risk making noise, even a shell casing falling would not be a good thing. His silencer would not be able to help with that, so he decided to forgo the guns altogether. He had plenty other skills in killing and guns were not the only way to kill a man. It was a good thing the bunker had a few hiding places, take one target down after the other. The boss had finally given the green light. He could kill them all, leave no trace. Of course.

He jumped one big guy who had strayed from the group into one of the rooms, alone. He grabbed the guy by the neck, intending to snap it with one smooth silent move. But the guy wasn't easy, he was obviously military, with training almost as good as his. There was a struggle, he had not expected that, but he was getting the better of him. Then suddenly he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, he was out.

….

"Joe, are you ok?" Danny asked in concern, crouching down besides Joe who was trying now to get his breath back, choking and coughing.

"Yeah, yeah. Son of a bitch! Who was that guy?" Joe asked hoarsely. "I thought the bunker was empty. Where did he come from?" Joe managed to choke out.

"Well, one thing I can tell you for sure is that he's not Chinese." Danny said, turning the guy so they could better see his face.

"Guys, are you ok? We heard noises." Tani, Junior and Lou rushed in with guns drawn. Only to stand in shock as they took in the scene.

"Oh, peachy. I followed Joe here to talk to him only to see him being choked to death by that piece of ….trash." Danny said, waving a hand towards the unconscious guy. "One smack with the back of my gun at the back of his skull did the job."

"Guys, we better move then, we are not alone obviously. What if there are others coming?" Lou said

"Oh, we are alone alright. This guy here looks like an assassin, you know the type?" Danny said to Joe's node of agreement.

"These types never work in a pair or group, they are loners, hired killers. Highly trained, arrogant and stupid." Joe said as he stood up and kicked the guy hard in the ribs. He was still unconscious.

"I say, if we are going to get any ideas of what's going on here, this guy is our best bet. Let's get it out of him." Danny said. Junior, Lou and Joe nodded in agreement, grabbed the guy on either side and dragged to the torture room. They strapped him to a chair.

…..

Steve came to but didn't open his eyes. Instead he tuned his ears to the voices in the room. They still believed he was still out, so they spoke freely. But still they spoke in Chinese just in case he could hear, not knowing that he could hear and speak Chinese almost as well as they did. But he wasn't about to let that secret out. He didn't know how long he had been out, but something had changed. The place he was in was different. It felt different, the ground he was looking at, the very smell of the room was different. He could still recall in the back of his mind the bumps and movement as if he was being transported by some vehicle on a bumpy road. Other than that, he recalled nothing.

"We should have taken them out." One said, in Chinese.

"No, there's a bigger picture here, and we can't afford the hassle."

"Yes, but we could have used them as leverage to make him talk. They were obviously looking for him. They must be on his side, family or friends or something. If he knows them he would definitely talk, if we killed one or two of them in front of him, maybe." As the conversation continued. Steve was acclimating to their dialect.

"No family or friends would risk it coming all the way here for one person. And remember his own people want him dead. It could be them. Right now, they think he's dead. They did set out to kill all of them, and right now they have no reason to think that one of them survived. He is our secret weapon. He will be revealed at the right time, not a second before. And not before we have the evidence we need." They continued in Chinese.

"The evidence we can only get if he talks. I'm telling you, I'm sure those were his people. We can use them."

"Until we are sure, we keep them in our sites. Let's not rock the boat."

Steve listened, and his mind and body went cold. Danny was here. That he knew in his gut that Danny had figured out his code and came here as sure he would. He had dragged the whole team here from what he could decipher from the conversation. God, now he wished he had never left him that clue. Now they were in very grave danger, they had no idea how big this thing was. God, what had he been thinking coming here, dragging the team with him? For what?

He knew why, even as he berated Danny in his mind, he would do the same if the shoe was on the other foot. That was just how it was with them. And if Danny were to be captured and brought in front of him to be tortured, Steve would talk. No doubt about it, he would say everything. Who else had he brought along with him? Lou? Tani and Junior? For God's sake, Tani and Junior were still new in the team, they didn't know how this worked. Damn it, Danny! What did you do? Steve cursed in his mind. God, please he could not let this happen to them. If they were used against him he would break, no hesitation. He would talk , and after he talked they would all die painfully. Horribly. The thought of it had him going a little mad. He could not let that happen. Then an idea hit him. He was already a little insane with the idea of them being used against him. How about he make it real? His captors didn't know yet if Danny and team were friends or foes of Steve. Whether they had come to finish the job or rescue him. So, they were going to study the situation a bit longer. How about he take that chance away from them? Completely take the option off the table. They could not use then against Steve if he didn't know them. If his captors could prove beyond any reasonable doubt that he couldn't care less if they killed his friends in front of him. That option would be useless if he didn't recognize them. They had been torturing and dousing him with that mind-numbing drug, it was bound to have some side effects.

When his captors came to wake him up with a hard slap on the cheek, Steve had that bug eyed, far away blank stare. He was catatonic. And if he spoke, he would keep repeating one unintelligible word, over and over, with drool falling off his droopy mouth. Commander Steven McGarrett had officially gone mental.

…

 **Brother let me be your fortress**  
 **When the night winds are driving on**  
 **Be the one to light the way**  
 **Bring you home.**

 **see you in a bit.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- Don't look me in the mirror right now.**

 **Hey guys, thanks for following and the reviews and all. Thank you. I hope you like this one. Cheers.**

...

 **"It's like you're screaming, and no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed... That someone could be that important, that without them you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless... Like nothing can save you. And when it's over, and it's gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back. So that you could have the good."-quote from somewhere.**

...

Danny hit the guy hard with the back of his hand, he came to with a start. It would have been funny had the room not been so tense. Emotions were at a boiling point for everyone, for some, a little more than others. This was serious business.

"Wakey wakey, rise and shine." Lou said with sarcasm.

The guy just stared at them not quite comprehending his situation yet.

"What, you're surprised we got a jump on you? Mr. hired assassin?' Tani said

Danny and Joe were now pacing around the guy, studying him, measuring pressure points. Danny was eyeing those torture tools with interest.

"Now, you're going to talk to us. Whether it's sooner or later is up to you. It's all up to how much tolerance you have for pain." Joe said.

The guy just scoffed and looked away derisively.

That obviously irritated Danny and he landed a punch on the guy's face. He then leaned in on the guy, looking at him with a mean face.

"You, are going to tell us everything. Where is McGarett?" Danny asked in a low menacing tone.

"In my pocket?" The guy wisecracked.

Another punch landed on his jaw again, this time Danny broke some teeth because blood was now coming from his mouth.

"Again. Where. Is. McGarett?" Danny asked.

"Go ask your mother. I spent quite some time with her last night." Came the derisive reply.

Danny stood back and began to pace. He laughed, his laughter had nothing to do with any joke. Tanni had never seen him like this. He was the easy one, at least she used to think. She had heard stories yeah, like he had a temper. A real dangerous temper, not the one she was used to seeing when he would just talk his mouth off endlessly. There was hardly any sting in that. However, she was sure she was about to witness the rumored temper that had a few close people worried sometimes. The one that supposedly had him kill his brother's murderer in cold blood. That was still a rumor too but, rumor had it that he had been arrested for it once. That was a rumor too, as far as she knew. She could never reconcile that guy and the one she had begun to know since she started working at Five 0. She had a feeling she was about to have a front row seat to that show.

….

Pete thought he had a very good tolerance for pain, it came with the job. But now, he was losing it. Punch after punch after punch, everyone thought they would just pitch in, landing blows on his face. He didn't talk then, a punch didn't do nothing to him, it was just another of his many tolerances. He could take a beating until Sunday. No problem. When the older guy started slicing his fingers one by one he did cringe, a little. Maybe even screamed, but he was not saying a word. Because in spite of it all, these were normal military guys or cops, they were not going to kill him. And that's what he was counting on. Eventually they would let him go and he would get his revenge. Eventually they would slip up, that's when he would show his true colors. In the meantime he would just continue being a smart ass. Or say nothing.

"Where is McGarett?" The older guy said, a punch followed after, then a slice, but he said nothing.

"Joe, let me have a talk with him. Who knows, he might talk to me." The blond guy said, patting the older man on the shoulder. "Somehow, I don't think punching is going to bring out any answers from him. Maybe a good talk will do it." He said.

Somehow Pete was a bit wary of this guy, he was cold. Despite his seemingly cool exterior, his laughter and calmness, it went beyond that somehow. The coldness or calmness, whatever you might call it, it was a bit more defined. He recognized that look. It was his look. It was almost like he was looking in a mirror when he looked into those cold blue eyes. Only it was different, just a bit. Pete was a cold blooded killer, a hired killer, his job by now was easy in that he didn't have to feel anything with the people he killed. Emotions were not involved therefore he always executed his missions without any trace of anything but coldness. This guy had almost the same cold look, only his was emotional if there was anything like that. It was an emotional coldness; and that particular look scared him. Very little scared him, very little. He was too exhausted to try and figure it out, but one thing for sure, if he didn't talk this guy was going to put a bullet in his head without hesitation. But then again, he had a team. They would manage things so he wouldn't go that far.

Pete watched the blonde guy whisper something in the older guy's ear, the one they called Joe. Joe looked a little longer at him, asked if he was sure. Blondie just nodded and opened the door for everyone to leave. The others exchanged glances but Joe nodded his consent for them to leave. The girl hesitated but was pulled out by the younger guy. The tall black guy, the one they called Lou stepped up to Blondie, to talk to him.

"Hey bro, are you sure….?"

"I just want to talk to him Lou, Ok? Just have a nice conversation. Just….just leave the room please."

Lou nodded hesitantly, looked at Joe and they left.

Pete didn't know what to think when the door was closed being them and Blondie leaned forward, his hand on either side of his chair, looking him coldly in the eyes.

"Now," Blondie said in a low falsely calm cold tone, "Me and you, we're going to have a nice conversation."

…..

With the door closed behind them, Lou turned to Joe, a look of misgiving in his eye.

"Man, I don't think we should have done that. In fact I don't think we should leave Danny alone with that guy for even a minute."

"It'll be fine."

"Joe, remember Maco…."

"It'll be fine Lou. The scumbag won't talk unless he has a real fear of death, one look in Danny's eyes will give him that. Let's give him some time."

"He can't talk if he's dead."

"Guys, what are you talking about? You think Danny will kill him?" Tani asked with dread.

"Do I think?" Lou scoffed.

"It wouldn't be a great loss." Junior offered, unconcerned.

Tani looked at each one of them in shock, Lou seemed worried, Junior was indifferent as if he was in support of the idea and Joe seemed to know something they didn't. She didn't sign up for this. She didn't think she could be party to this. She was a Cop. The law was still the law. Danny would not break it, would he? And who was Maco? What was Lou about to say when Joe cut him off? There was a lot she didn't know about her team, she only knew one side of the coin it seemed.

"Chill. It'll be fine." Junior whispered to her in reassurance.

…

"I'm Danny. What's your name?" Danny asked, colloquial.

"I go by Pete." Pete said, seemingly cordial.

"Now that we have gone through the pleasantries, how about we go back to the business at hand?" Danny said, seriously now.

"Already?" Pete scoffed. "And I thought we were on the road to becoming great buds."

"Where's Mcgarrett?"

"Go ahead, take another punch at me buddy. You're not getting anything from me."

"I am not gonna hit you. Just gonna talk to you. Now, where is he?" Danny asked, voice still low, still cordial.

"Eat me!"

"Where is he?"

Danny's tone didn't change, his voice didn't rise. It was the same question delivered in the same low cold tone. Calm. That threw Pete off a little bit. This time Pete just stared at him insolently.

"Where is he?"

"Dude are you deaf or something? I told you…."

"Nothing but blubber. Now, where is he?"

"You are a very short guy." Pete said observantly, distractedly.

"Where is he?"

"Kiss my a….."

Before he could finish, a bullet pierced Pete's knee cap. The pain was so hot he couldn't help but scream. The sudden unexpected move had caught him completely off-guard, Pete was in complete shock. Danny grabbed him by the neck, a gun on Pete's temple now, his face very close and menacing.

"If the next words to come out of your mouth are not McGarrett's location, it will mean one thing to me. That you can't tell me, because you killed him, just like you had set out to kill us. In which case, I'll have no reason not to shut your trap for good. I will end you. Do you understand me?"

It was delivered in a cold deliberate manner, but his eyes were no longer a cold blue from before. They were fire, crazed. The guy was going to kill him, Pete could see it. Thank God the other badges had come rushing in at the sound of the gunshot. But Pete didn't register their presence, his eyes and attention turned to the menacing face blocking his view right at that moment. He was going to kill him.

….

Shouts of 'Danny! Danny' in the background brought Danny around for a moment. He was really going to kill this guy. He really was. But the moment they shouted his name to try and dissuade him, the withdrawal, awareness must have registered in his eyes and the guy must have seen it too, because he laughed. Right there and then with a gun pointed on his head, Pete laughed a very irritating laugh. A laugh that said he had won after all, like he knew the resolve to kill him had just been broken. Danny wanted all the more to wipe that Cheshire cat smile off his smug face.

"Danny!"

"Oh, my God!"

"Didn't I tell you?"

"Danny, you got to let him go. Let him go."

The voices came from everywhere, pulling him back from what he was about to do.

"That's right Danny boy, let me go. You are a cop. You can't kill me." Pete said arrogantly.

The girl punched him in the face this time, while the others pulled Danny away.

"You'll do well for yourself to shut it." The girl said.

"Oh, you too? Has anybody told you that you hit like a girl?" Pete continued to taunt.

She punched him again, it stung good, but he laughed. He was enjoying the looks on everyone's face. They really wanted to kill him but they knew they couldn't. Danny didn't seem to be on the same page though, because if he had been given another minute alone with him, Pete knew he would have pulled the trigger into his head for sure. But now he couldn't, and Pete wanted to rub it in a little bit more. Because the son of a bitch had shot him in the leg and it was all he could do not to scream out again in pain. It was irritating and demeaning that this out of town nobody cop could get the better of him. He was Government and they were going to feel his real weight when they dock back home and they find themselves the ones in handcuffs. He'll make sure they all catch a bullet shortly after.

"You know what Danny? You were right. My not talking was not because I was trying to keep the location of your buddy a secret or anything. It was because I found no point in doing so, really. You see, I do have his location. McGarrett, the leader of the pack right? Tall big dude with tattoos on his upper arms, tough looking dude." Pete said and got satisfaction from the looks on their faces. Yep, he had them.

The whole room froze, this guy did know Steve.

"Oh, I see by the looks in all your eyes that I'm right. Good enough description?" Pete smirked. "Well, let me tell you where he is, because it sure ain't here. I really don't know where you get your Intel from guys but you need to improve. McGarrett was never here, and I can tell you that with a 100% certainty."

"Where is he?" Junior asked menacingly. The others just looked on expectantly but Danny had just gone still. He had gone even colder. He knew what this guy was going to say was the truth this time. Traps like these didn't open up to lie, and judging by the smug look on his face, Danny knew he wasn't going to like the answer.

"At the bottom of the Sea." Pete said, and the room went even quieter. "Or in a belly of a fish, I can't really tell at this point. So maybe let's make it about 90% Certainty."

"You're lying." The girl said, outraged.

"Am I? Danny? Do you think I'm lying?" Pete directed the question to him, enjoying the torment in his eyes. "I swear to you, I killed your boy myself. Put a bullet in his forehead when he and his buddies were waiting in the sea for the submarine. For now that's all I'm gonna say but, word of advice, pack your bags and go home. Because he ain't here. He ain't of this world no more."

A punch landed on his face again, he was so getting used to this.

"Lou, guys….let me go." Danny said in a low tone laced with emotion.

"You can't bro…"

"You heard. What he said. He. Killed. Steve."

"It's a lie…."

"Let me go. Please."

As soon as Danny was let go he walked deliberately towards Pete, a gun in his hand.

"Say that again." Danny said threateningly.

Pete, for all his bravado could not take the chance, so he looked away with a smug look on his face.

"Say. That. Again." Danny said dangerously, the gun back on Pete's temple. At this point Joe was thinking if Danny didn't pull the trigger he was going to have to do it himself. He could not just let this guy walk. And then what? Let him roam the earth happy and free again? Killing other people. He might be government but this was going to have to stay in China. Time was moving and they had to be getting on their way, now that there was nothing to look for anymore. However, Mr. Government here was going to have to go. And his hands better be the ones to kill him, not Danny's. He already had the blood of Maco Rayes on his hands, scum that he was though, Danny had never felt good about that afterwards. Joe had to spare him this one.

So he walked to Danny and drew him back, calming him down.

"He killed him Joe."

"I'll end this, not you, not again. Let me end this." Joe whispered.

Danny drew back, gun still in hand, and took a step backward. A fierce glare trained on Pete's face.

Joe approached Pete, went around the back to un-cuff him. Meaning to do the job somewhere in the woods. If the others were going to have any nightmares about this, they would only be imagined. No one would have to see him die. The moment Joe uncuffed the guy, the split second, with a move as old as time and just as fluid, Pete twisted, punched Joe in the face and turned him round to stand him in front of him, his arm around Joe's neck from the back. He had a hostage now, and leverage. He was that good.

Gasps, curses and some other shocked noises passed, guns now trained on Pete, fierce deadly looks on him. Nothing they could do about that now, he had the upper hand now. Like he had said, he was Government, and that meant something.

"Oh, come-on guys, you've had your fun but now it's time to let it go. Alright? For a moment there you had me, and you should take pride in that because I'm not easy to be had, you get? Now lower those weapon." Pete said sarcastically.

The weapons didn't go down, and he laughed, seeing the different warring emotions on their faces. They could do nothing now, if they attempted to kill him, they would have to kill Joe first, which was impossible, right?

"Come on Danny, lower your weapon so we can talk business here, you know there's no other way." Pete taunted.

Danny shared a subtle look with Joe, and Joe could only nod with his eyelashes, since his head was in a trap. Danny, having gotten the consent he needed, lowered his gun, the others followed suit.

"Atta boy Danny. Now….."

With lightning speed, unexpectedly, Danny raised his gun again and took a shot. At Joe. Joe went down in pain as the shot got his leg and Pete was left dumbfounded, exposed to Danny's bullet, with no other move to make. It got his forehead, fair and square. He went down, mouth agape, eyes wide open in shock. They didn't close back again, as he lay there like a fish out of water, dead.

Danny calmly placed his gun back into his waistband. That was self-defense, or justifiable homicide, take it to any judge.

The room was quiet with shock, it had happened so fast, so unexpectedly.

Tani looked in horror at Danny who was still staring at the now dead guy with such coldness it frightened her. There was no regret in his eyes at all.

"You ok Joe?" Danny asked Joe, taking his eyes off the dead guy for a second to look at Joe with concern.

"It's a flesh wound Danny, you did a good job. I'll live." Joe said dismissively. "Really nice shot there, buy the way?" Joe commended.

"I really needed an excuse to put that arrogant basted down. I should say thank you for giving it to me." Danny said.

"Yeah, nice shot there Danny." Lou said, "Too bad for Joe though." He said looking sympathetically at Joe's bleeding leg.

"What can I say, had to take one for the team, right?" Joe said with a smile.

As the congratulatory mood went around, Tani wasn't part of it, and she made a point not to look at Danny again as she ran to Joe to tend to his leg. She was not in the same congratulatory mood. Yes, the guy had been an arrogant basted and he had killed their friend and was about to kill Joe, but she could not get rid of the feeling that Danny had executed that guy. Somehow, the way he had done it, it had been an execution. And he was honest about it too, Joe had been an excuse for him to end that guy. If Joe had not been in danger Danny would have found a way to get to him, somehow. Of that she was sure. This whole thing had become really messed up, and it was not what she had signed up for. However, as she looked at Danny's coldly controlled anger right now, she realized she really didn't know him. She didn't know any of her colleagues at all. This was a new side of him that she had only heard about in rumors, she had never got to see it until now. She couldn't say if she was comfortable with what she had got to glimpse of her new boss's character but she was in awe. She had to be, the difference between Danny and that trained assassin had been zero at that moment. She hoped this incident didn't change him for good. She liked the easy going Danny better. One thing she knew now, she didn't want to get on his bad side.

Guys, we gotta' go, we don't know if there's anyone else coming ." Lou said.

"What are we going to do with the body?" Tani asked.

"Nothing, the Chinese will have to answer for this one. It is their bunker." Joe said, unconcerned.

"So, we just…leave him here?" Tani asked

"Unless you want to carry his body back home and give his parents the honor of burying his body while we have nothing to show for McGarret, I say the guy is getting what he deserved." Lou said

"And I don't think I need to stress this but, what happens in China stays in China, right?" Joe said.

They all nodded in agreement. They made their way out of the bunker in silence, ready to head home.

….

The way back home was different this time. The mood was silent and defeated. Danny kept to himself, quiet, he really wasn't in the mood to talk, not that anyone made any extra effort to make conversation. What could they say? 'So, Steve is dead, what's the way forward?'

Aside from the occasional one word for directions or such, no one talked. Danny was in another world so much that if there was any talk, he couldn't hear any of it. It was like he was deaf, all he could see were lips moving, if they tried to talk to him. They got out of the desert, got to a plane which had been organized by Joe. Thank God it was not that old guy's beat-up chicken plane. This was actually a normal 6 Pax seater in good condition. They settled in and shortly they took off. Danny leaned his head on the window seal and stared unseeingly out the window. He could not feel pain. All he felt was numbness. Everything was unmoving, time seemed to have stopped. This trip back this time was different in that as much as all their 'rescue Steve' escapades had been filled with angst on the way to, they were filled with profound relief on the way back. Because on the way back, they would have Steve with them. He would be worst for wear of course, but alive. This time there was no such feeling. Only the mind numbing pain of knowing that this was their last 'Rescue Steve' mission because the beloved ninja Navy SEAL was never going to do anything crazy again. He was dead. Steve was dead.

Danny failed to really process this, but as he remembered the look in Pete's eyes when he admitted to killing Steve and his team, he knew it was true. The guy knew what he was talking about, he had killed Steve. And had been proud of it.

When Maco Rayes had pointed to an old oil drum and told him arrogantly that that was his brother's body in there, Danny had known one thing at that moment, he was going to kill the guy a thousand times over. When he had looked into Maco Rayes eyes and pulled the trigger, he had felt at least a little satisfaction. He had regretted doing it afterwards. This time he didn't think he was ever going to regret killing Pete, the bastard. All he regretted was that he didn't get to kill him execution mode like he had done Rayes. He wanted the guy to wake up so he could do it again. Maybe then he would feel something, some sort of justice. Even then, even if he got to kill the guy a thousand times over, he knew Steve wasn't coming back. It would never bring Steve back. Steve was gone, he was really gone, and he could not process that right now. So he stared outside, did everything on autopilot. Getting off the plane, saying goodbye to his colleagues as they all went to their respective homes, shoulders dropped after their unsuccessful mission.

He had to inform everyone else about Steve's demise. The hardest would be to tell Mary. But it had to be done. He also had to tell Lynn. And Catherine, she was still the woman Steve loved. Had loved. Cath would need to know, because she had loved him too. Then Doris, no, Joe will take care of Doris, he was sure. The other one he wasn't looking forward to informing was Katie McCain. How was he going to tell her that she was now a widow? She'd ask how he knew, and then what would he say?

Danny got into his Camaro which he had parked at HQ, and sat there for a moment, not seeing anything. Steve was gone. He would never sit beside him in this car again, being sarcastic, or irritating or cracking a joke. He could picture him now, with that lopsided grin of him, usually directed at him after some lame joke, usually meant to piss him off. All this while on their journey back, Danny could not picture Steve, he could not remember Steve's face. But now it all came crashing back, everything reminded him of Steve now. The office, the beach, this car. Steve won't ever sit in that driver's seat again, being all control freak about his car. Some silver linings.

Danny started the car and drove off. He got home and dropped his keys on the table. He looked up to see Rachel standing there, the look in her eyes that of sympathy. She knew. Probably why she was standing here in his house with that look in her eyes instead of at the safe house.

"He's gone." Danny was the first time he had actually said it out loud. somehow that made it even more real, more final.

Rachel came forward and took him into her arms. At that moment everything crumbled. All his walls came crashing down. This was reminiscent of the time he came to her when Mattie ran away. She had been there for him like this too. Only this time, Steve hadn't just become a fugitive who had boarded a plane and turned his back on him. Steve was dead. The most generous person, self-sacrificing person he had ever known. His best friend, his brother; A hero. So unjustly disowned and executed by his own with not even a cut up body in a drum to show for it. Steve was rotting at the bottom of the sea somewhere, or in the belly of a fish, with not even an unmarked grave to show for his heroism. It broke him, this time it broke him good. Rachel held him like that all night as he cried himself into a slumber. Once the flood gates opened it didn't stop pouring.

...

 **Sweet is it, sweet is it**

 **To sleep in the coolness**

 **Of snug unawareness.**

 **The dark hangs heavily**

 **Over the eyes.**

 **…..**

 **See you in a bit.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12-Zombie.**

 **Hey guys, it's been a while but thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Here's another one, i hope you like. Cheers.**

...

He took his first tentative, staggering, painful steps onto freedom. The sun hurt his eyes as he tried to take it in for the first time in a two years. Or maybe more than that, he wasn't too sure of the time any more. Breathing this fresh air for the first time in two whole years was indescribable. His lungs hurt as he took it in greedily and much too fast, like a man who had not eaten in years. That's how it felt like taking in that fresh air. He was blinded by the sudden blinking of lights, cameras. As if the sun wasn't too much to take in already. Reporters!

Funny how he was now suddenly a celebrated war hero when just a few hours ago he was a prisoner in a Chinese Black site prison. He was not used to seeing this many people. Everything was all so new to him right now, without the walls, without the constant darkness.

He was guided onto a US Air-force Aircraft politely. In a few hours he'll be home. He didn't know what it'd feel like to be coming back from the dead. His hands felt strange with no cuffs, or ropes on them. He resisted rubbed them subconsciously, liking the feel of them free. The new environment itself, of freedom, hurt his battered and frail body.

The plane took off and he took a deep breath in. He didn't know why the Chinese had suddenly let him go, what kind of bargain had been made for his release or if this was just a huge game of chess with him as a pawn. He didn't know if he was coming out of the frying pan and smack into the fire, but for now he really didn't care. His foes were still on home ground, that much he knew. The people who had executed his entire team were back at home, he had a feeling they would not be too happy with this new move by the Chinese. He didn't know what or who awaited him back home, but for the moment he would just breathe. It was as precious to him as gold, that fresh air intake of breath. For now he would just breathe and only think of one thing, Commander Steven McGarrett was coming home. After two years of being presumed dead. Two whole years in hell.

...

Detective Danny Williams walked into his house with a box of Pizza in his hand and his son by his side.

"Rachel! Grace! Hey, we're back." He yelled as he closed the door behind them. He smiled as his two beautiful ladies walked out to greet him and rescue the Pizza from his hand.

Life was good, he got his family back, finally. And he and Rachel couldn't be better. He wondered how a simple task of picking up a box of pizza from his favorite place still caused him excruciating pain though. It had been two years for God's sake. And every place on this goddamned Island was still tainted with images his brother. He should have moved on by now, should have left the Island but he could not bear the thought of being completely severed from every connection Steve. And going back to Jersey would only torture him with images of another brother lost. He had never really gotten over Matty's death, and it seemed Steve's was something he had not even began to process yet.

As the girls walked to the kitchen with the pizza, Danny picked up the remote and changed the channel to the news.

" _Now on to some good news_." The reporter was saying.

'Oh really? Was there ever that anymore these days? Like they even knew what good news was?' He thought cynically. Getting comfortable on the couch.

" _One of our own, lost at sea two years ago, presumed dead, turns out he was being held in a Chinese prison and has just been released to come home…"_

The rest of what the reporter was saying, reporting from the Chinese airport faded into the background as the face that was captured on camera rendered him speechless. His heart stopped as he recognized the face immediately. He would recognize him anywhere. He looked different, alright. Thinner, long shoulder length hair and a face covered with such a huge beard he looked like one of those wild people from the mountains, and he was not camera, staring somewhat studiously on the ground. The lights probably hurt his eyes. God, where had he been? Who the hell had done this to him? Danny could not believe Steve was back. Alive.

He must have frozen, eyes glued to the television for so long as he tried to take in the image now pasted on the set, at the same time trying to take a breath. The Live feed came back on again and he had to squint his eyes to follow Steve as he was being guided into an aircraft, seemingly on feeble legs.

Rachel and Grace had come in sometime earlier and he had not registered their presence as all his attention was on the TV.

"Who's that Danno?" Grace asked.

Dear Lord, she didn't even recognize him. Charlie was just sitting there on the couch besides him looking at the TV, trying to figure out why his daddy had gone into a trance. He didn't recognize Steve either.

"It's your Uncle Steve. Oh my God, he's alive." Rachel said, she had recognized him.

The shocked and horrified look on Grace's face broke Danny's heart. Her uncle Steve had never looked like that person on the screen.

"Uncle Steve…is dead…isn't he?" She asked hesitantly, wanting to believe but being careful not to hope. Lord knew Danny was feeling the same way. In case this was all a big joke and he'd be left with nothing again, he was afraid to hope too.

"It is Uncle Steve sweetheart." Danny said reassuringly, taking her into his arms, she already had tears in her eyes looking at her Uncle on TV so battered and frail. "And I'm going to go and bring him back."

"Oh my God, he's alive." Rachel chocked out again, coming to envelope both Danny and Grace, drawing their son too into a family group hug, though Charlie seemed to be confused as to how Uncle Steve was suddenly alive again and more importantly, how that homeless looking guy on the screen was supposed to be him.

A little later Danny managed to pick up his phone and speed dialed a certain number.

"Danny. I've seen it." Joe said, in the same awe stricken voice.

"We've gotta go get him." Danny said with urgency, and Joe only wished it were that easy.

Danny made calls to Lou and the rest of the team. Steve was alive. He'll take him. Whatever state Steve was in, he'll take him. It was miracle really. Forget about his current frail state, Steve was alive. His brother was alive. And by God, he'll bring him home.

…

General Stanly Horreb answered his personal cell phone when it rang, he was sitting at the back of his chauffeured vehicle.

"Yes." He answered

"General, we have a trouble."

The General wasn't fazed. 'Trouble' was what he dealt with all the time, he knew how to deal with trouble, so he just lazily answered,

"Define trouble." Fisher could be a bit excitable at sometimes. He should really get a bit more control of his balls, the General mused.

"Operation Zii." Fisher said in definition.

The General stilled. They were never supposed to utter the name of that operation ever again since that time. It had been almost two years without anyone mentioning that word.

In a very still, now dangerous voice, the General answered. "Fisher, we said we were never to mention this again. I took care of everything…"

"You took care of nothing General. One of the eight survived."

The General never showed any outward panic, in fact the General never panicked but this time he broke out in a sweat. "Explain."

"It's all over the news. The Chinese have just released him on good faith. On good screwed up faith! When has ever the Chinese released any prisoner on good forsaken faith? Do you think they are onto us? I'm not going down for this Stan." Fisher was off the handle.

"Meeting in ten minutes." The General said then cut the phone, directing his driver to turn back. The General was now sweating a little. Yes he called the shots in most cases but he still answered to someone. And this was his mess. This landed right on his doorstep. He had a lot to answer for.

…...

Danny had made a quick work of getting out of Hawaii to DC with the help of the Governor. He got the next ticket to DC so fast even he was impressed. The Governor was interested in this too. He had left Lou in charge, promising to get back to them with feedback. He had called Joe and they arranged to meet up at the airport in Washington. Danny still could not believe what he had seen with his own eyes on TV, he had to see it for himself in person. Steve was alive. For two years he had believed him dead, had run himself crazy trying to avenge his death. He had never stopped looking, never stopped pocking around even if they had all agreed that they were going to let it go due to how dangerous it had all become. That at least they had killed the guy who had pulled the trigger. But Danny had wanted the guy who had ordered it. Trying to look into the cryptic almost-clues had been so frustratingly difficult he had almost lost it. Had it not been for his family, Rachel and his kids he would have run himself into dangerous territories in his pursuit of justice. His family had helped to keep him grounded. But he had never stopped looking. He had reached out to Catherine since she was CIA, but she had nothing. He did believe that she and Joe had never stopped looking either, even Doris he believed was doing something in the background too. Now Steve was alive, having been a prisoner of the Chinese for two years. Still Danny didn't breathe easy. He would believe it when he saw him.

…..

 **The Table**

Fisher was pacing while everyone else was seated dignified around the table. Typical Fisher, that man had no balls, the General sneered.

"I'm not going down for this." Fisher said, looking pointedly at the General.

"I feel like you are directing that accusatory remark at me." The General took the bait.

"Who else should I be looking at Stan? This is your mess. You promised us that you had this taken care of. Now look."

"I seem to remember we were all in this together when we made that decision." The General countered.

"But it's your people who messed up. What do you call it again? They left a root of trouble? It doesn't grow any bigger than this Stan." Fisher was not letting up.

"This can still be taken care of…."

"What, by killing more people?"

"I only have to kill one, Fisher, and if you don't stop being a pansy ass I'd have to make it two."

"If you think you can get rid of me like you did Mayfield then you are really out of your mind General."

"Ok, ok, you can both calm down." A voice of reason said. "We are all in this together and we've got to think. The Chinese are obviously playing a game here and we have to figure out what before we make any rush decisions."

"But every second we waste is a second more this guy gets to open his trap and throw this whole thing into hell fire." The General said.

"Yes, but we can't just kill him, not yet. There is a bigger play here. Have you wondered why the Chinese didn't kill him but instead threw him out in front of the whole world like that? They know something, and the moment he turns up dead it will confirm whatever theory they have. It will be game over for us. Questions will be asked, and we'd do well to not put ourselves out in the spotlight like that. It's a trap." That voice of reason said again.

"Ok, what do we know about this guy?" The head of the table asked.

"His name is Steve McGarrett, he was Mayfield's top guy, Navy's finest. He was he Commander on this op." Fisher said, a bit calmer now.

"How about family."

"He's got no one. Father and mother both dead, one while he was still a boy the other while he was in the Navy. He has a sister but she's no threat. He's got nobody, I bet that's why Mayfield had him in his team, not many people would care to ask questions." Fisher said

"Alright, perfect, but still we can't kill him, everyone will ask questions and we don't need that. What has he said to the Chinese so far?"

"Apparently nothing. If he had don't you think we would have a war on our hands right now? No, he didn't say anything. In fact Chinese torture must have messed him up good because they say he's catatonic.

"Ah, finally we catch a break."

"Maybe I should have led with that." Fisher said sheepishly.

"You think? Idiot?" The General said irritably at Fisher.

"We can't just assume what we hear is the truth, we have to make sure gentlemen, you know better than that. What if he's faking?" The Head of the table said.

"I'll have people watching him." The General said.

"Alright gentlemen. We better have a game plan here. The President has called a meeting with his Joint Chiefs in twenty minute and we are running out of time. We have to attend that meeting with some solid defense facts here." That voice of reason said.

"The President does not know anything, only what the Chinese told him." Fisher said.

"Which would be what exactly?" The head asked.

"We don't know, all we know is this guy was in Chinese territory on a mission that wasn't sanctioned. He is a traitor, of course. Whoever he was working for left him out in the cold and he got caught. We have to make sure he goes down for high treason." The voice of reason said.

"That won't be too hard to sell. Mayfield is the only person McGarrett knew connected to this operation, and he died under suspicious circumstances. We make sure they go down in history for high treason together," The General said.

"Couldn't have Mayfield told him anything?" Fisher asked

"The guy is numb-nuts Fisher, and if he says anything who's going to believe him?" The General said derisively looking at Fisher.

…..

If he thought the paparazzi were anything scary in China, he had to wait till he stepped foot on home ground. Cameras where everywhere, mikes and phones being pushed into his face, throngs of people had come to see the traitor or hero who had been released by the Chinese in good faith. Which one he was here would be determined by the people who had set this trap for him. Whether he was friend or foe of his country. He was a pawn in a big International Diplomatic game, and he really didn't know who was on his side. He was still wary of thinking that his own people had betrayed him and were the ones who wanted to kill him while the Chinese wanted to save him, at least for the sake of whatever sick game they were playing. Yes, he was a pawn but he still had some moves to play too. He was in this game, and he would be damned if he's just to watch while he got pushed around on the chess board. He took staggering steps forward, his suited protectors shielding him from the attacks of the paparazzi. He kept his head down, his shoulders dropped. He would have wanted to search for some familiar faces he knew would be there in the crowd, but he didn't want to give himself away. He didn't know anyone, didn't recognize anyone; that was his shield, both for himself and for the people he loved. As long as he stayed a zombie, they will be safe.

…..

Danny managed to make his way through the throngs of people showing off his badge, for all the good it did him with all these paparazzi hyenas. He did manage to get through though, at least to the front of the line. He had feared that he would not be on time but he was here, and Steve's plane had just landed. He saw him as he stepped out of the plane, all kinds of suits and uniforms his entourage, shielding him from view and helping him to walk. But Danny caught a glimpse, it was him alright. Steve was alive. The shock of it was almost the same as learning about his death. Then Steve really came into view so he could clearly see him. He had shoulder length hair and beard almost as long. He looked so thin and haggard, the steps he took were staggered because he was probably so week, the way he was so thin. He walked with his head down, as if a defeated man. Danny felt a sting of tears burn his eyes. What the hell had these people done to him? He watched as he was escorted to a government SUV and watched as it disappeared out of site, his heart clenching with pain and relief, Steve was alive. For real.

Later Danny met up with Joe who had failed to catch Steve's plane landing. Joe did suspect that something else was at play here, they both did. Like why would the Chinese just release Steve, and they had not forgotten their enemy who had put Steve in this position in the first place. Why was Steve being taken away in a government vehicle that belonged to the CIA when he was supposed to be in a Navy briefing? Ok, the CIA may have claimed Jurisdiction over this because this all happened on foreign land but Joe wasn't buying it. Everything was wrong with this set up. But as a father, he pushed that away. Steve was back. He concentrated on that fact. He was alive.

Between Joe and Danny they managed to call on enough favors to get them in to see Steve. However, they were admitted in a little too quickly, too hospitably. Their typical suited guys M.O was never like that. They were typically bull headed, and this new behavior of theirs was a little suspicious. Yes, Danny had called in some favors and Joe of course had connections, but for them to be admitted in just two days after Steve's landing? No connection was that good. Still Danny didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, neither did Joe, so they took the bait.

A door was opened for them at the CIA Head Quarters and they were ushered into the CIA infirmary. They were politely ushered into a room further down the hall and left alone in private. Danny noticed the cameras at two strategic angles but he didn't give them another second as his attention was stolen by the image in front of him. Steve was sitting there, in person, alive. He looked relatively himself now as he had been cleaned up and had been shaven. Hair cut his usual military short, but he still looked terribly thin. He sat on the edge of the small single bed staring at the wall. He didn't stir when Danny and Joe walked in, he didn't even behave as if he was aware that he had company now. Just kept staring at the wall.

Danny took some tentative steps towards him, wanting to know for sure that he was alive, it still felt like a dream at some level.

"Steve?" He said, to get his attention, but Steve kept staring at the wall.

"Steve, can you hear me?" Danny said, touching his shoulder tentatively.

Steve didn't even turn then to look at him, that was weird and Danny's heart started to beat weird with fear. Danny walked in front of Steve, in his line of preferred vision, the wall. He crouched down and tried to look up at Steve, to get at his eye level at least, to get him to look at him. Steve might as well have been looking straight through him with that blank void stare. It was more than a little weird and it had Danny a bit more apprehensive. But Steve had been through hell at the hands of the Chinese, of course the guy was bound to behave a little weird. He had to cut the guy some slack.

Then Danny tried again, "Steve?"

Steve didn't even stir, Danny looked closer. Steve had not moved once from his position, blank star on the wall. Realization dawned on Danny and his hand fell from Steve's shoulder as if he had been burned.

"Steve didn't know him, he didn't know anybody. Steve had been so damaged he wasn't right in the head anymore. He was like one of those mental health patients you would see sitting in a mental institution staring at the wall, droop falling off their slightly gaping mouths.

His heart clenched in dread and he was so much in shock he didn't have any more words to say.

Joe got closer now, having noticed what had happened.

"Steve? Son? Can you recognize me?"

Steve just stared blankly at the wall, his position not changing, nothing on him changed. Then he started muttering unintelligibly, his arms protectively wrapped around himself, rocking back and forth like a frightened child.

Danny stepped back in horror as he watched. Dear Lord, Steve was mad. The pain of seeing him like this was more than Danny could bear. He needed a moment. He needed for someone to pay for this.

…

latter- cheers.


	13. Chapter 13

**An international Incident- Chapter 13**

 **Hey guys, its been a while, here's another one- enjoy.**

 **...**

The President paced around fuming, he had really had it this time. This had been so unexpected, it had totally blindsided him. The Chinese were giving him heat on one side and the Russians on the other. This was spelling out war very fast, and one of his disciples on this table was undermining him. He didn't know which one or if it was just one or more but someone on this Oval table right now, one of his Joint Chiefs was involved in this. Of that he was sure.

"Alright gentleman, you have heard the Chinese President's phone call just now, and we've all seen that news bulletin. Now, does anyone mind telling me what the hell is going on here?!" The president thundered.

"Well, with all due respect Sir, we were all as blindsided as you have, if not more so. What are the Chinese saying they have on us?" The Vice President asked.

"You've all heard it. I remember refusing to sign off on a certain mission to go into China to retrieve stolen Russian defense codes. This was because I had reached an agreement with China and they had agreed to return the codes peacefully." The President said.

General Horeb scoffed. "Well Sir, if you don't mind me saying, but that was kind of naïve to think that the Chinese would have just handed over those codes without at least copying them." The General said. _The problem was not the Russian defense codes as much as those were important too. The problem was the chip that had been stolen was actually some sort of a black book containing their activities in China and it contained the names of everyone involved. No, Mr President, that chip was never supposed to be handed over to you in any way. That Seal team was supposed to retrieve that chip but they were never supposed to make it back_.

"I don't have the naiveté of a child, General. I had a contingency plan in place. And I had offered him something far better. He had agreed. Then shortly after the agreement, the Chinese claimed that a group of unknown persons had broken in, stolen the codes and in the process killed Zheng and one of their Generals at the Chinese Military Base. Do you know what that means? That would be a blatant act of war, if there ever was one. I remember asking this panel here, if anyone had gone against my decision and ordered an invasion, you all denied it. We only got out of it by blaming the Russians. The Chinese conveniently forgot to tell us that they had captured one of the perpetrators. And even if they had, we had nothing to answer for. Because to the best of my knowledge, I never ordered that mission into China. Now, imagine the surprise when they just spring this guy up from nowhere and dangle him in front of the media. And guess what? He is American!" The President looked at his Joint Chiefs.

' _Well, don't look at me._ ' The General wanted to grunt that under his breath but he had the presence of mind not to be that blatantly disrespectful. He did think the President had the naiveté of a 9 year old, because he was totally in the dark.

"And they chose now to bring up something like this." The President continued. "The time I'm supposed to sign that Treaty with Russia. Who, by the way, had no idea that we ever lost their defense codes to China? Now, forget about the Diplomatic mayhem that will ensure because of this, we may very well have World War III on our hands." The President said.

"Mr. President, this is looking like that this guy, McGarrett was involved in some sort of espionage or treasonous activities. How did he end up being a captive of the Chinese? Who sent him there? What is he saying?" The President's Secretary of defense said.

"He isn't saying anything as due to the horrible torture of the Chinese, he became catatonic. However, the Chinese did say that during the time he was being tortured he never once uttered a word and they commended him for his resilience and his loyalty to his country. This makes me think that he was under the illusion that he was acting under this office's authority. And with that, it makes me doubt greatly that he could be a traitor. Someone else is undermining my authority and I want to know who?" The President said and everyone inwardly cringed.

 _'Ok, maybe he wasn't totally in the dark, but this could still be contained.'_ The General cleared his throat. "Yes sir, we will make sure we get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what is going on. But in the meantime Sir, it may be wise to make one man who is out of his wits for the moment to take the blame. We have plausible deniability here. We don't know him and whatever Agency he worked for. He did this for profit. We label him a traitor and we will be cleared on both sides."

 _Oh, you'd hope we'd do that, wouldn't you?_ "I hear you General, blame an innocent man for the greater good, as usual. Though that may appease the Chinese for a moment, what about the Russians."

"We just claim we never knew about the codes being stolen. After all, we have many of those on all of our nukes."

"Very nice plan General, takes care of everything doesn't it? However I'm not that worried about the Chinese or the Russians. I can handle them. What I want to find out is who is pulling the strings, undermining this office. I'm more worried about the snake in my own house, who will be charged with high treason when caught, because they will be caught." The President said meaningfully and the whole room was tense.

"As for Lt Commander Steve McGarett, he is innocent until proven guilty. He will be treated like the hero that he is. An innocent man who, along with his team went out to China risking their lives thinking it was a service for their country. I would like to know who went with him on that mission and who sent him and his team on it." The President said sternly.

 _Oh, you shouldn't have tipped your hand so quickly like that Sir_. The President's special adviser cringed inside.

"Only if he could talk Mr. President." The General said, almost in challenge.

"You wish he wouldn't General?" The President countered, and for a moment they faced off.

"Just saying, he is catatonic Sir." The General said, drawing back.

"At least that's the working theory, who knows? However, if he turns out dead from some unknown reason, or accident or suicide, then I'd have my answer. One of us in this room would have made sure he didn't talk." The President said. "Then it would be easy from then on to find my snake."

 _Only if you have the evidence your Excellency._ The General said in an internal monologue.

"Gentlemen, the meeting is adjourned. Have a good day." The President said and then left the room as the Chiefs stood in respect.

The General and his counterpart's shared a subtle look.

The Special Adviser to the President made a note to tighten the President's security from now on.

…..

Steve was in a trap, he felt trapped, and he couldn't do anything to save the people he loved, or even warn them. Hell, he could not even acknowledge their presence or feel joyful about seeing them again after two years, for fear of putting them in harm's way. He was under surveillance for a reason. To see what made him tick, which buttons to push to make him break. Now, as long as he remained uncomprehending there was nothing they could use against him that could work. They would not be able to use his people against him. As reasonable as that was, he could to get rid of the pain of seeing Danny's face in horror as he saw that he was mad. The pain in his eyes as he had looked at him, not believing that Steve really could not remember him. Joe had more of a poker face. And Steve could do nothing but stare at them with that blank stare all the while screaming inside for them to get out of there. If Steve showed any acknowledgement, he would make them both targets.

He had not realized that their brief presence in that room had filled him with a sense of home, now that they had left he felt than loneliness again, even worse this time. He had missed them. He had missed them terribly, but there was very little he could do about it at the moment, except protect them, by pushing them away.

…

Danny walked out of the CIA Infirmary with Joe beside him as if in a trance. Steve didn't remember anything, he didn't know them. Steve didn't remember Him, because he had gone mad. He failed to comprehend that, the Steve McGareett Ninja Navy indestructible Seal had been so messed up with torture he had lost his mind.

He was alive. Danny concentrated on that fact. Steve was alive. Whatever shape he was in mentally or otherwise, they could deal with it, just as long as he was alive.

Joe was in the same broody mood, no doubt battling with the same thoughts. They didn't talk all the way out of the CIA Headquarters. The doctors and the other Agents had been quite hospitable. The doctors explained that Steve had become what they would medically certify as a catatonic state of mind, It was perhaps a way for his mind to protect itself from whatever torture or trauma he may have experienced. It was a withdrawal, majorly found in children who would have gone through some traumatic experience. You'd find some of them may stop talking, become autistic or even extremely mentally unstable. That's the state Steve was in. The doctors were not sure if he would ever come out of it, and if he did, if he would still be able to remember anything. Family was encouraged to visit often so as to help stimulate his mind, help make him feel safe again. A familiar feeling of home might help in bringing him back from his locked away safe place. It made sense, Steve had been through hell at the hands of the Chinese. Danny just wanted to take him home, whatever medical interventions needed could be done while he was in a safe place. But of course, that wasn't happening. Protocol and whatnot, they had to keep him under government care. Right.

Then just as they stepped outside, a guy ran after them from the CIA offices, in a suit as the others.

"Hey guys." He half panted from the run. "Glad I caught up with you." He said, then proceeded to shake Danny's hand then Joe's, introducing himself as Agent Dennis Andrews.

Danny and Joe just looked at him expectantly.

"Uhm... you're McGarett's relatives, aren't you?"

"Colleagues…yeah. He doesn't have much of a family. He's just uh…someone we've worked with." Joe said evasively.

"Right. Anyway, just want to let you know that you guys are welcome to see him as long as he is being treated here. Soon he would be transferred to a more adequate facility but in the meantime, while he's here, feel free to come and see him, you can bring his family to see him too. Sisters, girlfriends?"

"Thanks for your hospitality." Danny said, closed faced.

"Well, it's the least we can do for a fellow soldier you know. I know what he must have gone through, let's just say, been there, done that. What he must have gone through must have been terrible. Anyway, here's my card. Anytime you want some help getting in to see him, you just let me know."

He handed Danny his card. Shook hands with them again and then went back inside.

Danny punched the number onto his phone and threw the card into a nearby bin. He would not be surprised if there was some type of bug or something laced onto that card. Joe saw that and smiled knowingly.

"What, you think I was born yesterday?' Danny asked

"I'm beginning to not think so. No. In fact I'm thinking you've got yourself a healthy dose of paranoia."

"I haven't had much of a good experienced with you CIA types. Current company included." Danny said and looked at Joe with a chiding smile.

"And you're catching on pretty quick. Trust no one." Joe said.

"You believe this Joe?" Danny started to vent his frustration.

"He's alive Danny."

"I know, and I'm grateful for that more than anything, after the initial shock, of course. I mean this whole new, 'come every day, you're welcome to the CIA headquarters personality', I mean, I've got to say it's a new and unexpected face they are showing. And that guy, could he be more fake? 'If you need anything come and see me?' More like King Harold telling the star followers to come and tell him who the baby Jesus was, so he would be easier to kill." Danny said and Joe almost laughed. "And did you see those cameras? How the hell is Steve supposed to talk even if he could?" Danny continued ranting.

But Danny was right, and Joe had not wanted to say anything as yet, but he did have his doubts. A lot of them. He was himself part CIA too, he knew how this worked. Steve had a lot to answer for and they would not just let him off just because he had gone mental. Not to mention the shadow who had ordered Steve's team's execution and sent Pete after them. That shadow was still there, still unknown, and no doubt watching their every move. And Steve being alive was probably not a good thing for them. Whoever they were.

He discussed this with Danny on their way back to their hotel. Yes, something bigger was going on here, and they were most likely caught in the trap too.

….

"Did you see 'His Arrogance's' face when he all but accused us of colluding behind his back?" Secretary Richard Fisher said as he took his seat at the Table again shortly after their meeting with the President.

"Don't get me started, he is onto us," The General said with apprehension.

"It helps to know you have realized that even those with the naiveté of a 9 yr old should not be underestimated General. And I wasn't happy about your conduct with the President , like it or not he is the President and while he is such, we have to be subtle with what we think of him. You were down right insubordinate in there."

The General would have defended his position, but he was a bit wary of the person speaking. The only one who outranked him on this Table. So, he just grunted and looked away.

"I think the closer he gets to this thing the worst off we are. We might have to move on to plan B." The General said.

"We can't do that yet, that is supposed to be the very last option if we can't control the situation. How are we doing with our Navy Operator?"

"He had some visitors today. He didn't recognize them." Secretary Fisher said.

"Just saying, we have to contain the situation here." The General insisted.

"Like it or not we can't move on McGarett until he gives us what we need, and if we do, it has to be because we have no other choice. Don't forget we have all kinds of eyes on us. And now it seems the President is on to us too. We've got to be sure careful about our every move from now on."

"That's what plan B is for." The General grunted.

"Not yet."

...


	14. Chapter 14

**An international incident-chapter 14**

 **Hey guys, thanks for the reviews, grannyv3, Elis Deschat and mercer,LLB, Sasha, Cubit special thanks to you guys. And to my guest reviewer, it's unfortunate i can't reply to you but know that your review motivated me to post this next chapter. Sometimes if i don't get any feedback from readers i convince myself that maybe i'm writing crap, and most of the time i stop. So thanks. Here's another one, i hope you like.**

...

The next day Danny visited Steve again, Joe waited outside to surveil the situation. Danny had to go there by himself, the doctors just let him in and closed the door behind with a smile. Danny now turned to Steve who was sitting on is bed in much the same position as yesterday, staring at the wall blankly. Danny, now knowing the situation a little bit, approached Steve tentatively, as if approaching a scared little child.

"Hey, buddy. How are doing today?" Danny said, hesitantly.

Steve remained zombie like, staring at the wall.

Danny sat in a chair and pulled it closer, so he could sit looking at Steve. He chose a position where the cameras could only see his back. He looked at Steve for a moment, observing his sorry state. His best friend had been reduced to this. It hurt every time he looked at him. It hurt even just to think of it. He wanted to tell him he had killed Pete, the guy who had killed Steve's team. He knew Steve wouldn't comprehend it though, besides, not with all these eyes on them. So, he sat there with Steve, just looking at him. And Steve just looked at the wall, mumbling to himself. It seemed like it was going to be an uneventful day again. Steve was just blankly staring at the wall. Danny was busy looking at him, making plans in his mind on how to start a home-based care for him. He'll take him home, the beach at the back of his house would be able to calm him and make him feel safe. He hated the idea of Steve in a Mental Institution although there were one or two reputable ones in Hawaii, not that he had ever made a point of vetting out Mental Institutions or anything. Now though, that knowledge would come in handy. Steve wasn't violent or anything like that, he had just retreated back into his own mind. A loving environment would be the best to bring him back. Home would have to be the best move, surrounded by friends and family and….

All of a sudden, he was pushed violently off his chair and he found himself on the floor with Steve looming over him like a giant Green Hulk off his meds. For a moment he just sat there on the floor and stared, not knowing what to do? So, Steve was violent- check. Did that rule out homebased care then?

Danny stood up and Steve pushed him against the wall so violently, grunting like a wounded gorilla. What could Danny do? He couldn't very well fight Steve off, the guy had all kinds of injuries besides his mental status.

Steve pinned him against the wall and mumbled some numbers in his ears. At first Danny didn't register it, just put it down to an episode of schizophrenic behavior. Steve hefting him up against his chest with super strength, Danny had had to leverage himself by putting his feet against the wall, trying to break free.

"Find it Danny. Find those coordinates."

Danny froze. Steve had called him Danny. He had remembered.

Steve roughly threw him against the wall again.

"Hit me back. Hit me back now." Steve whispered

Danny did, though he felt bad about it. He elbowed him lightly on the torso. Steve turned on him again violently and held him in a choke hold. The cameras could get every angle so Danny pretended to struggle.

"Your acting is excellent Steven," Danny choked through the choke hold, he was turning red from the grip.

"And yours has got to be better than this. You're in danger, I'm in danger. Find what's on those coordinates Danny. Save me." Steve whispered in his ear urgently while he tightened the grip around Danny's neck.

The door was banged open and a foray of white coated doctors and some security guards rushed in. They Freed Danny from Steve's grip and took Steve down. It was violent, and Danny wanted to protest to their handling of Steve but he held back, making a show of chocking and coughing from that choke hold that Steve had had on him. It wasn't really much of an act, Steve had really made sure that it would look authentic. Son of a bitch! He was sane. The moron. He had him worried sick!

"Are you Ok, Detective Williams?" One of the doctors asked.

Danny coughed our some more. "Hell, you should have told me he was violent. I would have been a little bit more alert." Danny complained.

"Sorry, we are still observing him. Your presence must have triggered him out of his safe place and instead of recognizing you as an ally, he must have seen you as the enemy. His mind is still stuck in a very dark place it seems." One of the doctors said

"Ya think?" Danny said crossly, while still chocking and rubbing his neck.

"We will be sedating him now, he'll be stable in a moment."

Danny didn't like the idea of Steve being sedated while he was perfectly sane, neither did Steve it seemed, but what could they do? He looked on as Steve maintained his bug eyes crazy schizophrenic behavior, as the doctors and security wrestled him and injected him with something in a syringe. Steve never looked at him again, he was now lying on his bed, his eyes closing in a drugs induced sleep.

Danny was ushered out, on the corridor he met with the guy who had given him his card yesterday, Andrews. His name should have been Harold, it would fit him perfectly with the role he was playing here.

"Detective Williams." He called out.

"Uh… yeah, Special agents Andrews, right?" Danny said in acknowledgment.

"Did you have a good visit?"

Danny choked out again, coughing and rubbing his neck. "I guess it was progressive. Today we have found out that Steve is also violent. I guess that rules out home-based care when you guys are done taking care of him."

"That's really unfortunate," The guy said, in false sympathy.

Andrews walked him out of the building, asking random, seemly useless questions which Danny tried to answer vaguely. Knowing the kind of people he was dealing with.

He had to take action now. He had to take Steve out of there. As soon as he was left alone, Danny punched the coordinates Steve had given him into his phone so that he would not forget them, he wrote them in as a contact in case someone had the mind to steal his phone for reasons other than reselling it for profit.

He remembered Steve's urgently and desperately whispered plea.

 _"You're in danger, I'm in danger. Find those coordinates Danny. Save me."_

He had to save Steve. Whatever it took, he had to get Steve out of there.

….

Danny tried to walk steadily out of the CIA headquarters, chocking and coughing out, rubbing his neck looking extra worried but his acting skills were not that good, at least not up to match Steve's; Who could win an OSCA with that zombie performance which he had had to play for two years. Danny had to try though, because his audience was not going to be fooled by any mediocre acting. He knew right at this moment they were stripping down the tape from Steve's room, just to look for any loopholes. He hoped his and Steve's acting wouldn't give them any.

As soon as he felt like he was in the clear, well at least out of the earshot of his tail, Danny called to meet up with Joe.

"I have news Joe. Meet me in ten." Danny said then named a Restaurant which Joe agree to. They met up at the restaurant and Danny tried to act as casual as he could.

He sat down across the table from Joe, greeted him with a smile and picked up the menu.

"Steve's not mad." He said, casually looking at the menu as if he had just said, 'I'll have the salmon.'

Joe looked up from his menu questioningly, Danny smiled again and nodded in confirmation. Yep, Joe had heard right.

"I didn't want to think it because the kid can't be that great an actor, right?" Joe said, just as casually, pretending to concentrate on his own menu.

"You and me both. I mean, after two years?! Your boy has got to go into the acting business after this whole thing blows over. I'm sure they'll take him. He's got the looks part down too." Danny said

"I thought you were going to say you were the better looking."

"Well, I won't go with him to the auditions of course, otherwise they'd pick me." Danny said

Joe just smiled and let that one go. "He can sure make a great name for himself. The Chinese couldn't even crack him, couldn't even think he could fake it for that long. What did he say?"

"He gave me some coordinates. After throwing me up against the wall, acting like Godzilla out of his meds. He gave me a pretty good choke hold, I'm still trying to get my voice back." Then Danny scoffed and put the menu down, leaning on the table with his elbows, he rested his chin on his intertwined hands. "Agent 'Nice' came shortly after, I'm not sure he was convinced by our charade."

"He's going through the surveillance cameras right now, try to find any loopholes. I'll bet you real money on that." Joe said

"I wouldn't take you up on it." Danny quipped.

"Speaking of which, I found some bugs in our rooms." Joe said.

"Typical. There would be bugs in a hotel like that. Under the beds maybe? Eyes or just ears?" Danny asked.

"Both. Don't worry it's all clean now. Though you can never be too sure when they keep coming back." Joe said

Danny nodded, he understood. The safest place to speak was here. "I don't like the idea of Steve being sedated alone in that place. What if they decide to kill him, call it a schizophrenic reaction to medication or something? I don't like it Joe. He's so vulnerable alone in there."

"I know, if we don't get him out of this quickly someone else will, and I dread to think how they will decide to do it. We've got all kinds of eyes and ears on us. We've got to figure out a way to get to whatever it is that's on those coordinates. I'm sure whatever they think he has on them is the reason he's still alive, it's also the reason why we're being watched." Joe said

"Copy that." Danny said. Then proceeded to order their lunch when a waiter came to their table.

"What are you thinking? You think we should go back to Hawaii, regroup?" Joe asked.

"I don't like the idea of leaving Steve alone here. Why don't you go, figure out what all this is and I'll keep Steve updated and safe, somehow." Danny said.

Joe looked at the guy who had come in a few minutes after Danny and was now also eating his lunch. Earlier he had been pretending to read the paper.

"You brought your tail in with you." Joe pointed out.

"I know." Danny said, and took a sip from his glass. "The guy is maybe going for the serious business type look, but what is it with these people and suits?" Danny asked

"I thought you could relate Danny. You're the one who is always wearing a tie in Hawaii." Joe said.

"Steve got me out of it. Now I just wear a tie on special occasions. But I still know how to put on a disguise Joe."

"Yeah, a dress shirt and dress pants. I bet it's like trying to get over an OCD leaving that tie unattached to the outfit." Joe said

Danny laughed, but he felt sad at the same time. This was the type of conversation he and Steve would have, and having it with Joe now, in Steve's absence left him feeling sad. But he knew it would have been worse had he not known that Steve was alive. It had been a while before he could talk about Steve after his supposed death. If the conversation steered that way he would just excuse himself, he couldn't stand it yet. Talking about Steve, even after two years. Now, he was surprised that he could do so without so much pain; Steve was alive. And if they don't get him out from under the rock he was under, he won't be for long.

They talked in cryptic ways how they were going to retrieve whatever was on Steve's coordinates. Whatever It was, it was the key to this whole thing. Now, getting into China again without their tails knowing was going to require one hell of a plan.

…..

Detective Williams." Danny stopped to see Agent Andrews walking after him again, it was inside the CIA Headquarters so, ok, he was in his territory, not too spooky.

"Hey, Agent Andrews." Danny said in a friendly manner.

"I must say I'm surprised to see you back here so soon after the whole incident yesterday." Andrews said, walking with Danny to the infirmary.

"Yeah well, he wasn't in his right mind, now was he? Can't hold a grudge against the mentally challenged." Danny said. They were now standing directly in front of Steve's room, and anyone inside could hear them, anyone sane. "How's he doing?" Danny asked.

"I'm not sure, Doc will give you the update. Say, I haven't seen that other older guy in a while, Joe White. He doesn't like the ambiance?" Andrews asked curiously.

Danny almost agreed, "No, um…he had to go back. He had some work to do. Work doesn't stand still just because the world's gone topsy tuvy on someone."

"I hear you," Andrews said with a laugh. "What do you have there?" He asked, looking at the box in Danny's hand.

"Oh, scrabble. I thought since I'm here i might as well help out, you know. Maybe start with words, simple words. The guy is like a brother to me so, I gotta do what I gotta do."

Danny knew he had showed his hand right there, but he had already put his foot in his mouth, so he might as well go with it. He shouldn't have said that. Now Andrew had this satisfied look on his face as he left him to his visit with Steve. Damn, he had botched it. Steve was right, his acting skills were not up to scratch. Yet.

He walked into Steve's room and Steve was up, looking at his wall as usual. Danny approached and sat on the chair beside Steve's bed, facing him. The angle had Danny's face directly in front of one of the cameras, but Steve was facing away from it, and the other camera only got one side of Steve's face. Danny was supposed to put one a hell of a show here, but he had to tell Steve something.

"Hey…buddy. How are you feeling today?" Danny asked, and Steve just remained quiet, staring at the wall. Danny maintained the 'approaching a wounded tiger' act.

"So, I have bought us a game. You wanna play a game?" Danny said, holding up the scrabble game box for Steve to see. He was acting like he was talking to Charlie back when he was two.

At that Steve turned his eyes at Danny, he could not risk making a face but with his eyes, now normal when looking at Danny from an angle that the camera couldn't pick, he said, 'Dude drop it.'

And Danny got the message, he wanted to shrug and make a face too, but he was the one facing the camera, so he refrained and just nodded as if to Steve's uncooperative state.

Steve kept that gaze at him, it was angry, his eyes were that angry blue that Danny knew so well, if he wasn't so scared of giving himself up, Steve would have managed an aneurism face too.

Danny would have mouthed, 'what?', but he did it with his eyes.

Steve flipped his eyes towards the door, indicating he had heard the conversation between Danny and Agent Andrews. Particularly the part where Danny had said Steve was as close to him as a brother. How could he say that? Didn't he know that the people against him would use that information against him? 'God Danny, how could you put me and yourself in a position like that? What would I do if they used you against me?' Steve said with his eyes and Danny looked down for a moment in shame, then looked back at Steve, his eyes conveying that he was sorry, he knew he had slipped up.

Steve remained angry. The two of them were having an entire conversation with their eyes while the cameras had Steve still staring at the wall, being his usual zombie self while Danny despaired at the hopeless state of his friend that he really had no words to say.

"You know, you used to have what I would call aneurysm face when you get angry," Danny said, "but it would quickly go away with the word sorry. Here," Danny took out the scrabble game and spelt out the word sorry. He looked at Steve asking him to let it go, he was really sorry.

Steve relented, he would have given Danny a lopsided grin but the change in his eyes would have to do. Danny saw and breathed a sigh of relief, Steve had forgiven him, he had to make sure he never slip up like that again. Or he will put Steve in jeopardy.

Andrews thought he saw something in Danny's eyes as he monitored the camera feed, he could not place it, could not describe the look but, there was a look.

"Hold on a minute, do you see that look, in Williams eyes? He asked his partner in the room who was monitoring the cameras in Steve's room with him.

His Partner looked and just shook his head. "The guy has got a not so unusual shade of blue for a blond but other than that, he's just a guy messed up by his friend's zombie state Paul." He said.

"Yeah, he's messed up about it alright. Tried to make me think they were just colleagues but the guy slipped up today. Said they were more like brothers." Andrews said with a triumphant look, as if he had stumbled on some really good evidence.

His partner looked at him and shook his head again. "Yeah, he is messed up, and he could be his brother or whatever but if McGarett doesn't recognize him, then that piece of information is crap. Even if you put his mother in front of him and kill her to convince him to talk, the guy will not flinch. Because he's a freaking zombie Andrews. He can't talk."

"I'm not sure about that. Has anyone ever tried that before. We should maybe try that method and see if he'll still remain a zombie." Andrews said.

"Oh yes we tried it. I gave his girlfriend to the Chinese."

"His girlfriend?"

"Lynn something. Poor girl, she was only guilty of being involved with the guy. The Chinese cut off her head in front of his eyes. He didn't change. I tell you, no medical test can prove, beyond any reasonable doubt that the guy is really messed up than that." Alex Jax said. They had been partners for eight years now. They had both turned together, became double Agents together. Well hey, the Government didn't pay that well.

"Hmm." Andrew wasn't too sure about that, but he'll take Jax's word for it. No use wasting people for no reason. He continued to watch the feed closely.

Danny continued his one-way conversation with Steve, spelling out some words on the board. Danny turned the board so that Steve could read.

Danny proceeded to read out the words to Steve and explaining them as if to a two-year-old.

He spelt out 'Joy' fist. "Joy is a good feeling. It's a happy feeling Steve. I'm so joyful that you are alive." Danny explained. Steve remained uncooperative. But his eyes to Danny read, 'You're doing it again. Stop giving yourself away.'

Danny's eyes shrugged guiltily at him, 'I couldn't think of another legit word to use'. Danny continued to the next word, 'Interest'.

"See here, this one means interest. In a sentence, I take interest in your well being Steve. You have to get better buddy." He'd done it again. Well that ship had sailed. So, he cared about Steve, big fuckin' deal! Let them come kill him. He was visiting him every day, of course he cared. The guy was his brother and he had already let that secret out. Danny really didn't give a damn anymore, but his careless choice of words had Steve frozen in fear. He remembered what happened in China and Danny didn't seem to know because he should be a little bit more scared than this.

Danny got to the last word, he was just doing this for the cameras now, Steve had already got the message.

"Choice." He said. "You have a choice here Steve. You've got to choose to get better." Danny went on with the charade.

"Zoom in on that." Andrews said to Jax again, leaning forward to see better.

Joy

Interest

Choice

He tried to look for any code in it, but it seemed all clean. There was nothing there.

Steve read the message and nodded his understanding to Danny with his eyes. "Joe In China." At least they were making progress.

….


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15.**

 **Hey guys, thanks so much for the reviews and yes they are a big motivation. Here's another one, i hope you like. Cheers!**

...

Catherine Rollins got off the plane in DC, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder. It had been tricky getting out of her current mission, but she had done it. They could either let her go to DC on another mission, whatever, as long as it was in Washington D.C, or they could accept her resignation. This was too important to her. She had been given some off days, so she could fix whatever she had to fix, which was even better. It was only when Steve was gone, when she had thought he was really gone that she realized how important he was to her. Yes, he was more important than any CIA or Navy mission, he was more important to her than her job. She had not been watching the News, too deep in an interrogation on a mission somewhere, but when Danny called and told her the news she had ran out of that room and tried to connect to Wi-Fi, suffice to say, their location was a typical CIA black site, Total blind spot for any surveillance technology. She didn't like that fact at that moment. She had had to take Danny's word for it. Steve was alive.

 _"Cath, I know this is asking a lot, but Steve is in trouble. I tried three days ago when the whole thing aired but you were not reachable. Listen, Steve seems to be in big trouble and I hate to say it but it looks like your guys are involved."_ Catherine remembered that conversation with Danny now.

 _"My guys, like the CIA?" She had asked, confused. Why would the CIA be involved in a Naval op?_

 _"Oh, you're damn right the CIA. We are in Washington DC right now, Steve is being held for interrogation or something. Now, I'm no expert on what goes on with the politics in the Navy or CIA, but I have it on good word from Jo that Steve was not even supposed to be in DC, the CIA is not even supposed to be involved in this. Joe thinks that someone big in the Navy or the CIA may have pulled strings to make this happen, because by protocol according to Joe, there is a perfectly good facility at the Honolulu Naval Base for Steve's condition."_

 _"Steve's condition?"_

 _"Long story, anyway we think something really big is going on here, I mean I can't even go anywhere without a tail…"_

 _"Danny, what the hell is going on?" The downside of being on he other end of an agitated Danny conversation was you hardly get to get a word in. And you don't necessarily have to understand half the stuff he said, that would be impossible. Now she listened intently to the explanation he was giving._

 _It made sense, it was more than likely the CIA would be involved looking at the way Steve had disappeared in the first place. Then also the fact that Steve was being held at a CIA facility rather than the Naval Base in Honolulu, and why the hell was the CIA even involved in a Naval briefing? Someone with a lot of juice could have pulled that off, and most likely because they wanted to cover up something. She could not deny it. No, she was not playing on the wrong side but some of theirs were as wrong as they come. It didn't mean the whole CIA was rotten, but a few rotten tomatoes can make the whole bunch look bad. And now it looked like the top guys in the CIA were involved too, as well as the top guys in the Navy. If not, why was Steve in Washington? She had accepted recruitment in the CIA as an honor, a promotion, sort of a testament to her skills but with some of the duties she got to perform, she did wonder. Yes, it was still for God and country, a little collateral for the greater good sometimes, but she wondered. It had begun to change her, a little collateral for the greater good, she was beginning to believe that. She now reflected on how this Catherine would have never called on military tank to clear a piece of land for landmines so she could get a little boy his ball. This Catherine would have told the little boy to suck it up. And she didn't want to be the Catherine who would rather let the boy go in, trigger the bomb so that a bunch of terrorists could be caught up in the blast. It would be a little collateral for the greater good alright, but she didn't want to be the person to do it. She could see herself going that road and she just wanted to stop. Starting right now, right here, she was going to put a halt to it all. The thought had come to her at that moment during her conversation with Danny, she could start paying her penance by helping to save the man she loved, by bringing down whichever high-up was behind this, by taking out some of the rotten tomatoes out of the basket._

 _"Cath? Can you hear me?" Danny had asked._

 _"Yeah,…umm…I'm right here. What do you need me to do?"_

 _"Right now, I have tails behind me, I can't really talk, I'm being watched. I'll text you and give you the instructions. We need an inside man…or woman." Danny said with a little joking tone now._

 _"You got me. Just text me when."_

 _"As soon as possible would be great."_

 _"I'll be there."_

Now she searched the airport Arrivals Department for Danny, he was supposed to be here to pick her up. Oh, there he was, she walked to him with a smile, her eyes darting to the guy sitting on one of the waiting benches pretending to read a paper and another guy casualty standing on the far side, punching something on his phone. Dead give aways for both of them, they should know better than to pretend to concentrate on something else which was not the passengers streaming out. They were at the arrivals department for goodness sake! They should look expectant at least, excited about whoever's arrival they should be pretending to be waiting for. Sticking your nose into a newspaper at the arrivals after the passengers have started streaming out was damned suspicious. Were they armatures?

"Hey," Danny said in greeting, giving her a warm hug.

She hugged him back. "Hey Danny. You've got tails." She said.

"I know. Caught them back at the hotel. That's the least of it, I've got bugs in my room." Danny said with feigned nonchalantly.

"Well, why didn't you get rid of them?" Catherine asked as she started walking casually besides Danny.

"Joe did a few days ago, made it look like the hotel had some sort of interference or something. But if I do a sweep for the second time, they'll be onto me. I'm supposed to be this clueless Detective from nowhere land Hawaii." Danny said casually. "You're my girlfriend by the way."

"Girlfriend? Then shouldn't we kiss or something?"

"McGarrett will kill me. I'm not sure he's quite right in the head to understand 'necessary means'."

"Then what am I supposed to be? Your Therapist?"

"You're funny." Danny said with a smirk, then a bit loud as they got out of the airport's noisy area and more into the earshot of their following goons, "You might be taller than me, but I'm still older pumpkin." He drew her head playfully to bump with his.

"Brother it is then." Catherine said with a smile. "We don't look that much alike though."

"Trust me, I don't look that much alike with any of my siblings. This will have to do. But you'll have to be a distant cousin, I wouldn't put it past these schmucks to go through my family tree."

"Well, it's a good thing then that I came prepared." Catherine said, showing Danny her new ID card and passport as they were now settled inside the rental car, out of sight of their tails. But he could not guarantee that they were safely out of earshot, his car could be bugged too.

So Danny just glanced at it then looked at her and laughed. She would just fit so well into the McGarrett clan Danny didn't know why she kept running from destiny.

Aloud he said, "I'm gonna go visit Steve for a while at the CIA headquarters where he's being attended to, you wanna come along?"

"Yeah sure. How's he doing by the way? I hear he's gone crazy." Catherine said, getting into the role.

"We're all crazy, it's just some show it a little better than others." Danny said solemnly. "I'm trying to play scrabble with him these days. Try to teach him the basic words. I haven't seen any progress yet."

"Poor Steve." Catherine said with the kind of disregard sympathy of someone who didn't know him too well.

"Let me just give someone a call." Danny said, dialing a number on his cellphone and putting it on speaker.

"Andrews." The voice on the other end said.

"Hey. Agent Andrews, its Danny Williams. Listen, I may have to take you up on that offer to help out. I had to pick up my cousin from the airport. Can she come in with me to see McGarrett? I've delayed my visit today and I didn't want to delay further if I dropped her off at the hotel first." Danny asked.

"Not at all Danny." Andrews said and Danny made a face, were they on first names now? He looked at Catherine and she had the same look that said, 'uh...buds now?'

Not with a double CIA Agent who was trying to kill his best friend. But for the sake of the charade, best buds they were.

"You can bring her in, I'll meet you in the lobby." Andrews said.

Danny said his thanks and cut off the phone.

Going into the CIA HQ was easy enough, Danny was already a familiar face. They ran his ID as per protocol though, as usual. Catherine's fake ID also passed easily, and Andrews must have given them a pass at the gate because they were admitted without questions. Andrews must carry a lot of weight around here.

Sure enough, Andrews was there in the lobby waiting to take them to Steve's room.

"Hey," Andrews said, with a friendly smile. "Did you have any problems getting in?" He asked, shaking hands with Danny in greeting.

"Not at all, thanks to you." Danny said then proceeded to put a brotherly hand on Catherine's back,

"This is my cousin." He introduced.

Catherine took over, stretching her own hand to Andrews "Donna. Donna Williams." She said

"Dennis Andrews. Funny isn't it, our names rhyme. Nice to meet you Donna." Andrews said shaking her hand. Catherine refrained from rolling her eyes to his lame comment, instead she gave him her best smile and went along with the lame joke. The guy was a douche. She was pretty sure Danny was rolling his eyes on the inside at that moment.

…

Steve was now anxiously waiting for Danny's visit. He was late today. Had something happened to him? No, they would not take him out just yet, it would be for nothing. Except if he gave himself away. Did his acting slip up? Did they know? Steve was so scared he was breaking out in a sweat. Someone once said to him that being scared was good, it meant you still had something to lose. He didn't want to have something to lose right now, he wished to God he didn't have anything to lose. God, what if they caught Danny snooping around and …?

Then the door to his room opened and there he was. Steve breathed a deep breath in relief. Danny was alive. Then he saw the apologetic look on his face before he ushered in someone else.

Steve froze, Catherine.

He was afraid of all those reactions he had to contain inside and maintain his uncomprehending look, It was really hard.

"Hey Steve, you remember Donna? My cousin?" Danny made a face. "No of course not, you can't even remember me, how can you remember a cousin of mine who only visited me once in Hawaii." Danny continued.

Steve was in a real panic now. What are you doing? What are you doing Danny? He couldn't master the eye communication with Danny as he would usually do, he was spiraling out of control here and he was so scared to give them away.

Danny could sense his disquiet, his emotions, he had had the same reservations too, but they had no other way, they needed Cath.

'It's ok, It's gonna be ok.' Danny's eyes said to Steve.

NO no no no it's not ok! It's not ok at all! Steve screamed inside his head.

Catherine came closer, "Steve, hey. It's Donna. How are you feeling?" She moved her hand to rest it on his shoulder. She had to touch him, she needed that contact. Steve was alive.

Steve froze even further. No no no no. Now he was in a real panic he might as well be genuinely mad right now. This was not happening again. No no no. Get her out of here Danny, you don't know…

Steve did not want to react like Catherine's presence bothered him that much but he could not help it. Seeing Catherine here in the lion's den had him really going crazy. Thoughts of another time about a year ago invaded his mind now. It was as if he was back there and it was happening again.

 _That day he had looked up with his tortured, blank eyes staring at his captors, he had pulled on his schizophrenic act for months now, ever since Danny and team had attempted to rescue him. They had continued to torture him though, now seeking to bring him out of his unresponsive state._

 _This time his captors had something else to jog his memory. He looked in horror as a woman was dragged into the room, a sack of potatoes over her head masking her identity. Steve had froze, who could it be? His mother, Mary…Cath? He was really going to break this time, he knew it. He would tell them anything and then die together with whoever it was they had brought to make him talk. No, he had to resist. He had to maintain his composure, maintain his act. This was the hardest part of the job, under no circumstances was he allowed to talk. It had been drilled into his mind during his training, that was the biggest part of their training. You don't talk, resist all torture, retrieve into yourself, find a better place inside your mind and block out the torture. Steve had done that, even to a point of going part mad to keep the pain being administered from messing him up completely. He had resisted, he had thought he had found a safe place in himself, and he had thought they had bought his mental illness act. Not so, it seemed._

 _Steve was good with resisting torture, throw anything at him and he would still survive. But nobody had ever used someone he loved against him before, he didn't know how he would be able to stand that. He had not been trained enough to withstand this. Victor Hesse had done it, using his father against him and he had damn near broken him. If Victor Hesse had not hastily killed Steve's father to revenge his brother, and had tried to bargain him for his freedom, Steve didn't know if he could have resisted._

 ** _'Even if they bring your own mother in front of you, even if they threaten your own daughter'_** _, Steve could hear his Commander bellowing. **"You don't talk! You look at them and you don't see them, they are strangers. Remember, you have no emotions at that moment, you have no weakness, or they will succeed in using it against you. It's the mission above all else soldier. For God and Country, you don't talk!"**_

 _Steve somehow had remained blank faced, maintaining his cover. If they torture her, whoever it was behind that mask in front of him, he was supposed to remain uncomprehending. Like he didn't know or care what was going on. Could he do that? Could he just watch and do nothing?_

 _Oh, he could watch alright, but what could he do to save her? Talk? If he did he knew his and her life would be over. Would that be so bad? Maybe not, but it would all have been for nothing. He could not blow his cover._

 _What if he maintained his cover, and they torture her in front of him and he remains blank, would they let her go? Having seen that this method is useless on a catatonic person, would they just let her go without killing her? These were fellow soldiers and as much as they were black ops they were just doing a job, right? They would have a certain degree of reservation of killing for no reason, right? It was highly unlikely but he would try. So, he remained bug eyed crazy blank, while they put a knife on her throat._

 _At his continued blank stare, they took off the mask and to is horror, it was Lynn. Steve could really not identify the feelings that flooded him that moment. Relief? Horror? Relief?_

 _Steve remained blank faced, not looking at Lynn who was calling his name now._

 _"Steve, Steve help me." She wasn't screaming, maybe because of the knife pressed too close against her throat. It was more like a whispered plea, tears streaming down her cheeks, but Steve remained still. He could not even swallow the bile on his throat for fear he would give himself away._

 _"Steve please."_

 _Steve resisted, if he remained still, unmoving, they will let her go. He tried to convince himself, they won't kill her just for fun. But wouldn't they want to see his reaction after the fact? The point was to see his breaking point, or rather breakout point. Will he break out of this fake bubble of a mental cage or was he really too far gone?_

 _"Somebody sent us a little present. They say this here is your girlfriend." One of his captors said, tormentingly. Steve remained blank, uncomprehending._

 _The guy lifted Steve's chin to bring his blank unfocused stare toward Lynn and the other one holding Lynn pressed the knife even deeper._

 _At Steve's continued blankness and droopy mouth zombie look, the one standing near Steve, the leader of the group it seemed, gave Lynn's captor a nod and to Steve's horror, he sliced Lynn's throat, just like that._

 _Steve could not scream in outrage, he could not swallow convulsively, he could not even let any tears show, let alone drop them. He remained catatonic, all those emotions, rage, pain, horror and guilt locked inside, even as they threatened vehemently to break out, he pressed a lead on them. Droop falling down the side of his mouth, head at a weird angle, eyes blank, Steve watched as Lynn's body dropped at his feet. He knew one thing, he may have been faking before but now he really was mad. He retreated further into himself and knew he would never be normal again. He could never want to deal with some of the emotions and guilt of what he had done. What he had allowed to happen._

Now, he did not quite realize when a throng of doctors came into his room, he hated that sedative but right now he could use some. Had he reacted wrongly? Because now Danny and Cath were being ushered out, but he was glad. He was glad they were getting out of here, out of the lion's den and away from him. That was his last thought as he succumbed to the sedative.

...

 **i hope to see you in a bit.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16- rate Race.** **"How did it get so late so soon?"**

 **Hey guys, thanks for the likes and reviews, thanks for reading at all, really appreciate it. Here's another one, i hope you like.**

 **...**

After that disturbing scene, Danny walked with Catherine out of the CIA building. Danny knew that Steve was playacting this whole madness role but he wasn't so sure if what he and Cath had just witnessed was just acting. Steve had been literary shaking and sweating, like he was locked away in some kind of personal hell somewhere in his mind. Steve had PTSD, that was a given, but that right there had been something else completely, It had been much worse. They had had to call in the doctors to come and check him out, and soon after they had sedated him, Danny and Catherine had walked out quite disturbed and Andrews was there as usual, keeping a close eye on the situation. Catherine had proceeded to chat up Andrews, which was what this whole thing was all about anyways. Danny now turned to look questioningly at Catherine, who looked very disturbed about what had happened. Maybe it was because he had brought Catherine into this and Steve was angry about it. But he had really needed Cath's help, she was their only insider here, Joe and Doris could sure pull some strings but not exactly what was needed here. Catherine had now made contact with Andrews and had already got his number, now it was just a matter of meeting up for drinks. It was a date, Cath was in. It was damned dangerous, Danny had his reservations too but Cath was different from Lynn or Mary. She could handle herself, this was practically what she did for a living, Danny had to believe she would be ok.

Danny had made sure Mary did not travel all the way here to come see her back from the dead brother because it was dangerous for her, she had understood. He had not called Lynn because the girl had vanished soon after the announcement of Steve's death. She and Melissa, whom Danny had shortly after broken up with, had left for L.A. Danny had parted nicely with the ladies, promised to keep in touch but Danny had never heard from Lynn again, and his communication with Melissa was almost none existent these days. Last he heard from both, Lynn was getting married to this other dude about three months after Steve's death. Now, calling her to talk about a blast from the past seemed unfair and meaningless so, Danny avoided calling her about this. Besides, Danny was sure she had watched the News about Steve's return, maybe with her now husband and maybe a kid. He didn't know, but he didn't want to disturb Lynn's happy married bubble. Plus, he was really trying to keep the circle small.

…..

Joe made his way to Hawaii safely, he had lost his tails a long time ago in DC. They had no idea he had gone to China and now he was back. It would not be prudent now to go back to DC with the package without even knowing what was on it. He had found the coordinates pretty easy, Steve's information had been accurate, and surprisingly he had made it in and out without any problems. That meant his enemies were in the dark about his whereabouts, or they would not waste time to take him out and take the package. It was why they were playing this cat and mouse game with them after all, otherwise Steve would be dead by now. They were still watching Steve to see if he would break and give up anything. Joe held on to the pouch containing the chip closely to him. It was too important to be in his bag, so he had strapped it onto his body, just in case.

He didn't waste time contacting anyone for transport from the airport, he took a cab straight to Five O HQ.

As he walked in, Lou, Tani and Junior looked up at him with startled, expectant looks on their faces, It was a surprise to see him here. Shouldn't he be in DC? They wanted to know what had happened because from the time Danny had called to say that Steve had gone mad and hadn't recognized him, he had not called again. They had waited on his updates but nothing came. He was ok, they knew that, because he had contacted the Governor a few days ago. Lou and the team had refrained from asking any questions or persisted in their want of information because they figured it may not be that safe for Danny to talk. Danny, who would call home every day to check on his family every time he went away, had not even so much as texted for more like a week now. Whatever was going on, Danny needed to keep them out of it. For their safety, for himself and for Steve, he would act this weird.

Now Joe walked in looking like all was right with the world. The man was always cool like that, but come-on, things were obviously not right with the world. At least not their part of the world.

"Joe man, it's good to see you. What the hell is going on with you guys? We haven't heard a beep from Danny for a week now." Lou said in both greeting and exasperation. He needed answers.

"I hope you haven't tried to contact Danny, Phones are tapped, we've got tails everywhere. He can't contact you unless if he feels it's really necessary and safe." Joe said, before greeting everyone.

"Tapped, tails…what the hell…?"

"I know, I'll explain latter, things are not as they seem back in DC." Joe said in mild despair. "Where's Jerry? I need one hell of a hacker to crack this thing open." Joe said, taking out the chip from under his shirt. He had tried to crack the thing himself but it was so encrypted it would need a real hacker, top of the class. Though Jerry was more of a goof sometimes, what hacker geek wasn't, Joe really believed he could be the one to crack it, outside of Navy Intelligence.

"Jerry's in his basement, catching up on the latest conspiracy or UFOs, who knows? I'll go get him." Tani said, leaving the room to go to the basement.

"So, what's that?" Lou asked, indicating the chip in Joe's hand.

"What Steve's team died for. The only thing that's keeping Steve alive at the moment." Joe said.

"You mind explaining that a bit more? How did you get your hands on it?" Lou asked incredulously.

"Let's just say things are not as they seem Lou. Nothing is as it seems." Joe was being all cryptic and riddles but Lou got the drift. It wasn't safe enough to talk until they knew what they had on that chip, and Steve might not be as he seemed to be. Whatever that riddle meant. He'll let that drop and see if Jerry could come up with anything.

Jerry came up with Tani, face looking concerned.

"Commander White, how are you? How's commander McGarrett doing?" Jerry asked concerned.

"He's alive, son. For now, that's all we know. And I need you to crack this, it might mean the difference between life and death for Steve."

They all anxiously waited, surrounding the table as Jerry started typing in trying to break down the encryption, it wasn't easy especially with all these people hounding him, waiting impatiently for him to crack it already. Did they know what kind of badass encryption was on this thing? It was a fortress! Now, Jerry was one of the best, he knew it, but this was starting to feel like it was beyond him. He had seen Toast work and the guy had been the best of hackers, Jerry bowed to him, but even he could not have broken this in the short period of time Jerry was being asked to. Now, add to that the added pressure of this being the difference between life and death for Commander McGarrett and he was sure breaking out in a nervous sweat. He would be killing Steve twice is he didn't break this thing. He needed room, he needed space, he really needed his basement but he could not dare asked to take this and go somewhere with it alone. For one, Joe was not letting this thing out of his sight, he was watching everything he did like a hawk. Jerry was starting to feel like he was under examination, more like he was doing this under duress.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his shirtsleeve and continued punching numbers.

After what seemed like an hour a sequence of numbers he had punched in, by pure luck really, had the firewall cracking. Bingo! He had it. From this point on it was a walk in the park.

"What, you got something?" Lou asked anxiously, having seen his relieved face.

"Yeah, uh...i think I may have cracked it. Give me a second." Jerry said nervously.

He continued to type again. "Bingo!" He jubilantly exclaimed.

"You go it?" Now every attention was zoomed in on him, but he had no reason to be nervous now, he had this thing wide open. He might just be a bad-ass hacker after all.

He opened the files and now everyone could read clearly what was on the screen. China, Russia, the Conwell group, operation Zii.

"Open that one first," Joe commanded, pointing at Operation Zii.

Jerry did as commanded and, crap, it was all there. Jerry didn't know in any detail the operation involving Commander McGarrett but he knew enough. Enough to comprehend with others what this file was implying. He could tell by Commander White's sudden curse that he was right.

"Damn." Joe swore.

"What does this all mean? What is…" Tani couldn't really comprehend it.

"It uh….it's all here. Way before the date. That's impossible…unless…" Jerry stuttered

"Unless it was all planed. The whole thing was planned, and Steve and his team set up to take the fall. They were never meant to come back." Joe said, wiping his face with despair.

"No, hold up a second. Alright, this here is the chip MacGareett stole and hid while he was on this mission in China, before he got captured. How in hell does it contain information about a mission he was already currently on, how…?"

"Because this is a map Lou, a manual. The whole thing was planned, all these activities in China and Russia are documented here, and operation Zii was a contingency plan. God, they did everything according to plan. Their activities were coming to light or under threat, so they moved to plan B." Joe explained, partly in awe and part disgust.

"Which is operation Zii." Tanni said in comprehension

"That's right. It was a shutdown, on everything. Steve and his team were sent on an unholy mission to retrieve this piece of evidence that could shutter all their plans if any of it ever came to light. Thinking they were going on a mission to prevent World War III when they were just instruments on someone else's espionage parade. They were supposed to retrieve that chip from enemy hands and maybe kill Zheng, then be destroyed after that. All the evidence gone, including the team." Joe said

The room remained still, trying to comprehend what was being said, it sounded too…conspiratorial it was… no wonder Jerry could understand everything.

"But that's just too…who would do something like that?" Tani asked bewildered.

"Oh, we've got names in some of these files." Jerry said, going to the signatories on the documents.

They all stood there in shock as they read the names of some of the top Officials, recognizable Officials some in the Russian Government, some in the Chinese Government but what shook them most were some from their own Government, it was as higher up as it could go.

"Why?" Junior asked outraged.

"Power, money, more of that." Joe said before he began to explain. "Steve and his team were not meant to stop any Diplomatic incident, they were meant to start one."

"Again," Lou said, still confused, "Why?" He said bewildered

"If I may, Commander White." Jerry said, and Joe just nodded. If this wasn't so screwed up even he was rendered speechless he would have been amused by Jerry's eagerness.

"Now", Jerry said opening some files. "If you look at these files here, this is all military power, weapons, economic crippling of others and dominance. Which would benefit them if there is to be something huge like say… World War III. These Companies here would supply the weapons needed, but more importantly, nuclear power will be tested, and it seems they are very confident what they have will stand out the winner. Commander Mcgarrett and his team were just an instrument and ultimately collateral damage. No more important than the thousands of people who would have died had this thing gone as planned. Now, instead of being sent to start an international incident that would cause Word War III, they were sent to shut the thing down, in whichever case, they world still end up as collateral damage." Jerry said.

"Honest to God, I still don't get it…why?" Lou said again still bewildered.

"Power. In other words, Captain Grover, Power." Jerry said.

"Wait a minute, are you telling me, that all this was done, all this, good men dying, starting a world war, sending our children to fight a war which purpose it is only to see which one's dick is bigger?' Lou asked incredulously.

"Or you can put it that way, sure." Jerry said with an affirmative nod.

"And money, some are in it for the money." Joe said

"God help us all." Lou said in despair.

"How do we stop this then? How do we… do we take this to the President?" Tani asked innocently

"No, we don't know if he's involved." Joe said.

"He can't be!"Tani said

"We don't know that, and until we do, we can't give this to anyone. Besides, we don't know who else is involved in this. These can't be the only names." Joe insisted.

"We've got enough high Officials to blow this thing wide open, meanwhile Steve is in a fix." Lou said.

"That's why we've got to act fast." Joe said.

…..

 **The Table. (two days after)**

"It's out. I told you Stan, I told you…it's out."

"For god's sake Fisher, calm down!"

"Really? Calm down? It's your fault. Someone's found the…"

"Fisher, we don't know that yet."

"Oh yes we do. What we don't know is who has it now or where they are. We don't know what the fuck they want to do with the thing but…someone sure as hell has it active now. That much I know." Fisher insisted, pacing in a panicked manner.

"How in hell would you know that?"

"Because I put an activation code on the encryption is how the hell I know! If the chip is accessed without our knowledge, I'd know." Fisher said seriously. But he forgot one thing, and he knew he had made a mistake the minute he opened his mouth to say it. The Table went still for a minute, it got eerily quiet in the room.

"That was very clever of you, Fisher. Trying to cover your ass much? Did you by some of your selfish clever craftiness think to put a tracker on it then?" The General asked irritably.

"Apparently, he didn't, or we would have known where it was all this while. Right, Fisher?" Vice President Richardson asked with suspicion.

"Or, he knew where it was all this time. Are you trying to pull a fast one on us, Fisher?" The General asked derisively and just as suspicious.

They all turned to look at Fisher with suspicion. Now he knew what Mayfield must have felt before his demise. Like a prey trapped by hound dogs.

Fisher scoffed nervously. "Of course not. Do you really think if I knew I would have…would have been so scared out of my mind?" He could hear his own voice shaking, he swallowed convulsively.

"What do we know Fisher? About you, I mean? You've just showed us there is a whole different side of you we didn't know about. Like how you're so computer savvy all of a sudden you know how to add your own code on and encryption code. Maybe this whole thing had been an act." The Head said with cold sarcasm.

Fisher thought he would shit in his pants with that stare directed at him from the Head of the Table. He could take on the General, no problem, he had juice too. But this man, this man scared the shit outa him.

"No," Fisher cleared his throat nervously. "I just thought it was a precaution we needed to take, you know."

"A precaution to cover your own ass in case you had to run. Would you have really run alone, Fisher? Leaving your team behind? Leaving us to take the heat, while you're somewhere in the Bahamas having the time of your life because some damn activation code would have warned you to run ahead of time?!" The General asked in outrage.

"No, that's not it…i…" Fisher was now trembling.

"Gentlemen, that's enough now." The Head of the Table looked at Fisher skeptically then said, "Thank you Fisher for thinking of it. Now we know what steps to take, thanks to you." Then he turned to address the rest of the Table. Fisher didn't know if that was a genuine tap on the back or a 'thank you for your service a gun is going to meet you on your way out', kind of thing. But he sat at the table and paid attention. He had no option right then than to sit down and play it by ear.

"I suppose plan B is in order now? We can't just wait to see if the President would get it and come at us or not." The General said.

The room was still for a moment, with no one saying anything.

"This was only if things escalated." The VP said reasonably.

"Wouldn't you say things have escalated enough?" The General asked irritably.

"We're talking about killing the President, this is not just…"

"It's either we kill him, or he kills us. We're not getting out of this without plan B. It has always been in the books, don't get cold feet now. You were there when we planned every strategy of this thing." The General insisted.

The Head of the Table cleared his throat and all the argument on the Table stopped. The final decision rested with him, of course all their arguments carried weight too but…

"We go ahead with plan B."

And thus, the matter was decided. With that, even catatonic McGarrett had to go. Whether he was faking it or not, wasting time on him was no longer necessary. Whatever leverage he might have held was now out in the open. He'd have to go, along with his President. As well as anyone who may or may not have had any contact with that information, that included the chip holders now, whoever they were they would be found and dealt with. They went on to discuss the method of carrying out such a job in the cleanest way. Operation cleanup was in place. No trace was to be left, not even a stain.

…

Agent Dennis Andrews answered his cell phone as he strolled down the street that led to the CIA Headquarters, the other hand in his pocket, he had a certain bounce to his step today.

The line was private, which didn't spook him much, many of his colleagues and clients used an untraceable, no caller ID number. The voice on the other end was recognizable without identification.

"Andrews." The voice said in greeting.

"Mitch." Agent Andrews said with a friendly tone. It was his buddy Glenn Mitchel, he was doing undercover work somewhere, but they were in the same business when it came to side business. Mitch was in on it, handling what needed to be handled where he was.

"How's it buddy?" Mitch said.

"All good. I doubt this is just a friendly call though, I know you buddy. You don't do friendly calls." Andrews said.

"I'm gonna have to stop being so predictable."

"I doubt you can get anything past me. So what's this about?"

"A friendly heads up. You've got eyes there."

"Who?"

"Catherine Rollins, she's one of mine. Good Agent, hard to turn, don't intend to, she can be trouble. And it seems that trouble has come knocking on your door step."

"Catherine Rollins huh? Haven't met her yet."

"I believe you have my friend. You had drinks with her last night."

"No way. Williams' cousin Donna?"

"Looks like you got played buddy. They are on to you. You better sharpen up."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"You owe me now."

"Keeps changing hands doesn't it?" Andrews said before hanging up.

He walked into the CIA building heading straight to his office. He sat down on his chair and started to process, he laughed a little to himself. So, Detective Williams had been playing the buffoon this whole time. What else had he lied and pretended about? McGarret? Was McGarret nuts or was he pretending too? It spelt it all out didn't it? And Donna-no, Rollins, had had him wrapped around her pretty little finger for a minute there. They were supposed to go on a proper date this evening. And he had been bouncing on his step ever since they had drinks together. Well, hell! She had played him. And he was going to enjoy killing her. Anyways, McGarret and Williams were as good as dead. Whatever they had been working on to pull one over on him wasn't going to work anymore. They no longer had the time. Plan B had been put in motion and there were some pretty efficient people who had been put in the cleaning department. It was unfortunate he would be on the Presidents detail tomorrow. Taking care of some more important business, he would have loved to clean up McGarret and Williams' clans. But he'll take comfort in knowing that they all had very little time before they took their last breaths.

...

" **There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying."**

...


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16-Conference day**

 **Hey guys, here's another one, i hope this was fast enough for you. Hope you like, thanks again, as always.**

 **...**

 **Murphy's** **Law- If anything can go wrong, it will.**

 **...**

Malcolm and Tristan sat hunched over on their desks in the top room overlooking the auditorium, keeping a close eye on the performance of their video systems. They had checked all their sound systems, video quality and all that, all was well, but this was a high-level delegation conference with the Guests of Honor being the US President, the Russian President and the Chinese President, so there was nothing like being too careful. This was a monumental day, the signing of The Treaty of Understanding among the three countries. It must have taken a great deal to get all three countries to agree on something. It was happening and it would be better not to screw this up. The other teams were in charge of lighting and such, but Tristan and Malcolm were heading this team and if anything went wrong they would have to answer for it, especially Malcolm, he was the senior technician on that team. On an occasion like this, a title like that was nothing but pressure. The little room was crowded to say the least. Besides the Technical teams, the Secret Service would come in and out to do random endless checks, supervisors upon supervisors, some of whom he had never heard of before, filed in and out, telling them what to do; as if they knew a thing about what really went on with these highly technical systems, Malcolm sulked. But they were his superiors and so he would always do what they said.

A guy leaned in from behind Malcolm's shoulder, "Hey buddy, how's it going?' The guy said, leaning closely as if to check for himself how the cameras and sound systems were working.

Malcolm looked up at the guy and saw the tag. Another supervisor. He grimaced, he had never seen the guy but what else was new? The guy was wearing a cap with a company logo, he was much older, big and tall, and looked like he was in charge of something. This was a supervisor and Malcolm had to be on his toes again.

"It's uh…its shaping up Sir." He said respectfully.

"Only shaping up? We've got to get this thing on the run guys, we don't have much time. Make sure you've got everything in order. How's the sound?" The guy asked.

"All good Sir." Malcolm said, checking again for the supervisor's benefit. All was in order.

"Right, ok. Just keep your eyes on the ball guys."

Sure thing Sir." Malcolm said as he watched the guy walk out of the room, seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, maybe to go organize another room, to go bug someone else. Malcolm was just glad he was out of his hair.

…..

The signing Conference was going on well. The President was happy that this was finally happening in spite of the treats and all that had gone on with the codes and everything. They were finally signing the Treaty, all three of them, it was a historical moment. It was going well. All the delegates were there, the whole thing was being screened live to all three countries most importantly, then the whole world. The Treaty was signed by all three Presidents, people clapped, they stood up and shook hands and paused for photos. The atmosphere was free and happy, with a positive energy, it was a happy event.

Then all of a sudden the screening of the conference on the screens changed, like a video malfunction. All of a sudden the faces of the Vice President, General Horeb , Secretary Fisher and an unknown man came on to the screen. They were sitting around a table in a discussing. Everyone in the Conference room just looked around, sure a malfunction had happened, and the President was going to be miffed, for something like this to happen at an important conference like this was a horror. The whole world was watching the damned thing!

Malcolm clicked, and clicked again, frantically punching buttons as now he had hounds of people breathing down his neck, but there was nothing. It was like he no longer had control of his own system. He had been hacked clean and smooth here. Now there was panic in the Tech room to try and bring back the original picture. Everyone was in a serious panic and running around to try and fix this until everyone stilled to the sound of what was being said on the screen. The whole Conference room had gone quiet too, paying attention to what was now transmitting on the screen.

Fisher was now fidgeting, sweating like a pig. He was sure if he didn't escape to the men's room, he was going to pee in his pants for real this time. But if he stood up now he would just give himself away, he thought maybe if he could crouch down and hide under the seats, maybe the floor would swallow him up.

 _I suppose plan B is in order. We can't just wait to see if the President would get it or not." The General said._

 _It went quiet for a moment, with no one saying anything._

 _"This was only If things escalated…"The Vice President said._

 _"Wouldn't you say things have escalated enough?'_

 _"We're talking about killing the President, this is not just…"_

 _"It's either we kill him or he kills us. We're not getting out of this without plan B. It has always been in the books, don't get cold feet now. You were there when we planned every strategy of this thing."_

 _The man sitting at the head of the table cleared his throat and all the argument on the table stopped._

 _"We go ahead with plan B."_

Gasps and horror sounds were heard in the Conference room as the video played, people could not believe this was real and at the same time they could not deny it. General Horeb was sitting a row down from Fisher with the other decorated Military Generals, the President's Joint Chiefs. He had stiffened visibly as he watched the screen and all that was going on. This was not going to be the way he went down. How the hell had this happened? His premises were always secure, especially his library, where they always held these meetings. No one went in or out without being checked out. This particular residence was not a place many people knew, only a few knew it existed. It was so secluded, so remote, reason why it had been chosen as the ideal place for meetings. How the hell had this happened? Fisher. He had sold them out the sneaky little bastard. He was going to put a bullet into his scull if that's the last thing he did. But the General had bigger enemies he's rather waste his bullets on, for now.

The screening went on, the President was now sitting down, paying close attention.

 _"We get the Motorcade, just after the treaty is signed. Many of the Russians and even the Chinese are not very happy about the signing of this thing. We blame it on them." The Vice President said._

 _"And once the deed is done we put you in power. You've got to make one hell of a campaign to capture 'the guys who did this', and then pin someone down, Russia or China. And clean this mess up." The unknown guy was saying._

 _"In the meantime, what do we do about the chip?" The General asked._

 _"Get the chip, destroy it. You have people all over the place General, don't tell me you can't get one stupid chip from some nobodys. Once we're in power it wouldn't matter, and even now, not many people can read what's in those files and understand it, encrypted or not."_

 _"And McGarrett will have to go."_

 _"He's a liability we don't need anymore, and can only serve to bring to light what really happened to seven Navy Operators we buried at the bottom of the sea. Take care of it carefully along with everyone who's associated with this, with him. Anyone who ever came closed to this case. Take care of it while this whole motorcade chaos is going on, no one will pay them any mind."_

….

The 5-0 team had come up with a nice but dangerous game changer, they had all descended in Washington soon after Joe had come back from China with the evidence. It was a huge deal but if they acted fast, they could slay this beast. Danny and Catherine had managed to sneak out and lose their tails so they could meet up with Joe and the team. They were all glad Jerry had come along, without his brilliant hacking skills they probably wouldn't have pulled this off. Catherine had gained Andrews' access codes, he had pretty high Security clearance. They could access anything of his and hack into a lot of secure files. That's how they knew who to follow, who to bug. Jerry had hacked the system and killed the AC at the General's private residence. With Andrews' access codes they could get clearance for anything, and Lou, Junior and Tani were the uniformed electricians called to fix the problem. It hadn't been easy but they had pulled it off, twenty minutes later, Jerry had a live feed into the General's private office, his den and every room in the that private residence of his. Danny had to go back to keep things steady and normal the other side but Catherine had to stay. If asked where his cousin had gone Danny would have to come up with a lie, but they were getting too close and dangerous to this thing, the less the collateral the better.

In the meantime Andrews was busy with organizing his people, Plan B had been accelerated too abruptly and way ahead of schedule. Now he had to make quick work of making sure that all was in place and mistakes kept to a minimal. There were too many people to kill, the number had unexpectedly hiked, not to mention the President of the United States himself. It wasn't going to be an easy gig. He had the big job of handing everyone their assignments, there were not many assassins and too many targets, but the big job was the most crucial. The others could be killed another day, but to have it all synchronize was the objective. He really had no time to be following Williams and Rollins anymore, his hands were too full. The person he had assigned to them was very efficient, he'd get the job done. Every one of them now had a target on their backs, and there were more accidental ways to take care of them.

…..

Danny Williams' rental car pulled out of the parking garage at the hotel the morning of the Conference, one could see it now moving at a steady speed from the hotel heading south, the road was not yet that busy with traffic, it was still morning, and most people were glued somewhere watching the proceedings of the treaty signing.

It traveled for about a quarter of a mile and then, Boom! There was a loud noise and people in the streets stopped to watch in horror as the vehicle went up in flames. There was noise, screaming people running around but no one could do anything to save the lone driver inside. The fire Department would take their usual 7mins to respond, the body inside would probably be well roasted by then.

One person watching from a distance just took out his little note book and methodically ticked off a name from the list, then turned to walk away from the chaotic scene. This was not usually his method, it was too sloppy, attracted a lot of questions but today was different. There was just too much to be done. Besides, who would care about a nobody cop's car bombing when the President was dead?

…

 **The Conference**

As the video played on, the Secret Service was already on the alert, making their way to the President while the others made their way to the faces they could identify on the video. Fisher found himself flagged by two Secret Service Agents on either side.

"No, no , you're making a mistake, I wasn't part of this. I was forced into this…." He protested as he was being dragged out.

Two more were approaching the Vice President who was seated with the Presidents at the Podium. He just stood with dignity and acceptance. He looked at the President with a mock smile on his face and shrugged as if to say, 'Hey well, you win some and lose some, right?'

The General saw his two arresting Agents coming at him and stood. No way he going down without a fight. He measured the object of his hatred with his stare, then took out the nine millimeter he had managed to sneak in under his vest and pointed it at his President. He fired, with the chaos in the room everything was happening too fast and all at the same time there was no order or real coordination of anything, But one of the President's detail managed to see it in time, pushed the President out of the way, taking the bullet in the shoulder himself. The General didn't manage to get another shot, with his hand still aimed at the general vicinity of the President he felt bullets piercing his nicely tailored, very highly decorated uniform. The General's body jerked in tune with the bullets, a stray bullet or two managing to get a shoulder and a leg of some who were unfortunate enough to be standing too near to the General and had not thought to take cover in time. The General's now bloody body went down, eyes staring at nothing but still registering shock though now fixed and dilated, a pool of blood fast forming around him.

From then on, it was chaos, screaming, people running around in panic. The three Presidents had been quickly whisked away to safety. Although the standby Paramedics were supposed to take cover until the chaos died down, they could not just watch and see people bleed out, so as soon as the bullets stopped flying they were already getting to work, patching this one and that one up. They had probably thought this was going to be sweet gig, being on standby at a Conference of this magnitude. They would just be standing by, watching the three Presidents and being part of this historical day. Well, they were going to be a part of this historical day alright, It had fast turned out to be a little bit more historical than anticipated. For some of them it was the first time seeing their President up close and live. They had probably thought that they would be sitting with dignitaries, watching out for the occasional angina alert and such, as was typical with some of these elderly high cholesterol government types. No one had even dreamt this was going to happen. Not one.

The Conference room was now quickly and efficiently being evacuated.

….

Agent Dennis Andrews had done a good job of disabling the cameras in McGarrett's room so this job will be an easy in and out, five minutes tops and the deed would be done. The cameras would be in a 'loop' from the time McGarrett was being checked by the doctor and nothing after, that's all they'll get of that tape. This thing was supposed to synchronize with the events happening at the Treaty signing so that no one will pay attention to the suicidal death of a schizophrenic patient who was still being treated at the CIA Head Quarters, who may or may not be involved with what was about to take place. After what will happen at the Treaty signing, McGarett wouldn't even get a little corner space in the paper the next morning, let alone cable news. If he did it would be to link him to the unfortunate events of today. He put on his gloves and white coat, making sure his syringe full of his most clear undetectable lethal poison was in it's place in his Doctor bag. He was ready, the only thing remaining was Dr Manning still in McGarrett's room, he wished the good doc would come out of that room already. Or well, he'd just have to be collateral damage, right now he didn't have the time or the patience to wait him out. This would just look like a schizophrenic gone epic, sliced Dr Manning's throat and then slit his own wrists, typical crazy drama. That's how they'll found them, whenever the alarm was sound, and he'll be long gone by then. He made sure to avoid the other cameras in the building as he headed towards the Infirmary.

….

The Head of the Table, some would call him the Head of the Snake, boarded his private plane and settled down waiting for take-off.

"Where to Sir?" The pilot asked. His flight plan said Mexico but his boss was an unpredictable man, things could change anytime. It wasn't as if this was a legitimate gig anyway, try flying around a ruthless drug lord, only worse. So, things like flight plans and such were most of the time just guise.

The Head pondered the question a bit. For now he would try Canada and then from there he would lay low in Iran or Africa, he could rule from any part of the world, really. His business here may have gone south, but it was an acceptable loss. Too bad for his buddies though, they had to take the fall. That was why he was a freelancer, his face never seen, and even now that they had seen it, thanks to the idiots who had managed to get his face on camera, they still would never be able to find him. No one knew who he was and he didn't belong to any Government, he just ruled them remotely from a distance. Turned out, his safe distance rule had saved him yet again. But he still owed the people who had taped him a huge debt, say a bullet each in the skull. If only he knew who they were, if only he had the time to find out. It pissed him off that he was now made to run by some amateur justice seekers, he was not one to let that go answered. The plane took off and he took out a Travel Magazine and started to peruse, looking to see which Islands would be the best to lay low.

…

What had been the dead giveaway? The doctor who had come in looked like a doctor, he really looked like one, but Steve had never seen him before, and apparently neither had doctor Mayson judging by the look on his face. It wasn't even that fact that had given it away, there were plenty of people he hadn't seen yet. It was the shoes, Steve reflected as he now lay panting from the exhaustion of wrestling with that assassin. Or had it been his cold eyes, or the way he had moved? Steve didn't know. The white-coated assassin had gone for Doctor Mayson first, meaning to get him out of the way. However, before he could even act, Steve had already noticed the wrong shoes and wrong aura all over the guy. Steve had reacted quickly, albeit to the surprise of the assassin who had not banked on Steve being so alert, let alone Dr Mayson who was just witnessing the miracle of his, not so long ago very catatonic patient, now so switched on, battling now with the assassin who had just missed slicing his throat by a whisker. All thanks to his patient, Dr Mayson wasn't wearing a red neck tie. Steve took some hits, a punch here a punch there, hitting each other's heads against the wall so hard Dr Mayson winced, but Steve managed to pin the assassin down, he put the assassin's dagger on his throat, so close he drew blood.

"Who sent you, you sonofabitch?!" Steve hissed.

The man sneered up at him, seeing that he was beat but would still try one last trick. "He's dead." The guy said and sneered.

"Who, damn it?" Steve hissed again, his heart freezing in fear.

"Williams, the others are to follow soon. Blew him up. You better take some barbecue source with you." At that, Steve for a moment lost his grip and the assassin got the opening he needed, he made to overturn Steve but Steve quickly gained back control, not wasting time to stick the knife into the assassin's neck. He would have reveled in it had he not been transfixed with fear.

Danny was dead, he was now himself a more open target, everyone he loved was now a target. The timeline had been moved up. He had lost too much he could not, he just could not…not again.

…..

 **Aftermath.** (A few days later)

Staying in Washington had seemed to be dangerous though they had managed to put all the named persons to book. The team did not feel safe staying in Washington even if they were going to be special guests of the President. Still, they could not leave for Hawaii until everything had been tidied up. General Horeb did not get the honorable funeral which had been due to him had he not been caught up in espionage and treason, he got an unmarked grave of the damned, no sympathy there. The Vice President now wore an orange jumpsuit, behind bars, his dignified persona didn't quite fit with this setting. And Fisher had sung like a bird, at the threat of death the man could do anything. They didn't even need to entice him with a deal but the man was cunning enough to get one and with the typical honor of any thief, he managed to sell out to the highest bidder. He named all the delegates and non-delegates who had been involved in this plot. One didn't need to sit at the Table to gain a little piece of the heaven they had been offering. Unfortunately, no one knew anything about the unnamed older guy who had sat at the head of the table, facial recognition technology didn't give them anything. Former Secretary of Defense Richard Fisher could only identify him as The Head. He really went by many names, none of which were legit. The Head of the Snake seemed to be the most appropriate name for him. He was the guy who made things happen, he decided who should be President and for what reason, what war was supposed to be fought and why. He was the guy holding the strings of the puppets, too bad for Fisher he had been truly under the illusion that everyone was a puppet. Honestly, no one person had that kind of power, case in point. Fisher could have said more had he known more, but he really didn't. The man was a ghost. Many feared to be haunted by it and Fisher feared more than most, so maybe it was really his fear that had made him draw the line on really outing the Head.

Agent Dennis Andrews managed to stay quiet as well until he was offered a deal. He made the mistake of naming Jax, his CIA buddy and partner. Dennis had got a good deal out of it but the next morning he was found lying on his bunk bed in his locked cell wearing a thick red tie, eyes fixed in shock like a fish out of water. He had named Jax, and some people did not take kindly to being put on the spot and being forced to a life on the run. Jax wasn't a really big fan of that, and he always made sure to collect on his debts. It was too bad really, Denis had been a good buddy of his, but he had named him. Nobody named out Jax and lived to talk again.

The President held an Honorary Ceremony in the aftermath of all that had happened. The Five O team was honored for all they had done and sacrificed in unraveling such a conspiracy. They all got medals, and Commander Steve McGarrett got a special Medal of Honor. Steve didn't feel like celebrating, how could he celebrate this? Just how? Too much had been lost, how could he even look at that medal and feel absolved, feel joy? Still he clutched the medal in his hand, stood at solid attention, heart clutching in pain, his throat constricted in the effort it took to keep his emotions at bay as the dead were honored too.

...

 **See you in a bit.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18- Home**

 **Hey guys, again thanks for reading and reviewing. here's another one, enjoy.**

 **...**

 **Home**  
 **A place where I can go**  
 **To take this off my shoulders**  
 **Someone take me home**  
 **Someone take me**

 **Look, I didn't power through the struggle**  
 **Just to let a little trouble, knock me out of my position**  
 **And interrupt the vision**  
 **After everything I witnessed, after all of these decisions**  
 **All these miles, feet, inches**  
 **They can't add up to the distance**  
 **That I have been through, just to get to**  
 **A place where even if there's no closure, I'm still safe**  
 **I still ache from trying to keep pace**  
 **Somebody give me a sign, I'm starting to lose faith. (Machine gun kelly & X ****ambassadors)**

 **Now tell me, how did all my dreams turn to nightmares?**  
 **How did I lose it when I was right there?**  
 **Now I'm so far that it feels like it's all gone to pieces**  
 **Tell me why the world never fights fair**  
 **I'm trying to find- home.**

 **...**

Going back home was surreal, everyone was in a state of shock after all that had happened. It had been all so risky and they had had their share of close calls, not to mention loses. Jerry Otaga reflected now as he sat with his head leaning back on his seat in the plane, closing his eyes to the sway of the plane to some mild turbulence. He reflected on all the things he had to do to get the team here, he had been responsible for a big chunk for the first time in his life, he would dare say. But he could still not breathe easy even when he knew all the things he had been accomplished, he could have done better. He could have…should have... It had been a whole new setting for him, he had been in the throngs of things for the first time, but had he done all he could?

Catherine had managed to get them fake badges and passes to access the Conference grounds, to blend in with the delegation and the working team, making full use of Andrews' access codes. The whole time Jerry had been sweating with nerves, thinking that they would get busted any time and may not get to reveal the evidence and Commander McGarrett would be stuck in there all his life or be framed for espionage; worse, be framed for what they knew now to be a plot to kill the President of the United States. He had thought he would have been thrilled to be a part of such a conspiracy hence his obsession with the JF Kennedy case, but up close and personal it wasn't as fun as he had imagined it to be. From now on he would do well to steer clear of government related conspiracy issues, he had just had a taste one too many. This one will last him a lifetime.

Joe had done a great job sneaking that hacker bug into the technical studio room where all the sound and camera systems were being operated from, Jerry had always been in awe of the man but he had one upped it this time. The way he had stayed so cool and walked in there as if he was the man in charge, with all the horde of who's and who's going In and out of that room, no one even thought to look at him too closely, he wore a tag, so there. Joe had done the crucial job that had made them so successful in pulling off Jerry's greatest hack yet, at the same time it had resulted in all hell breaking lose. Jerry didn't know how he felt about the chaos he had unleashed on that auditorium with what he had done, he didn't know how he felt about the people who had gotten injured and died, caught in the crossfire of it all, but who would have anticipated the General pulling out a gun at the President? Thank God the President hadn't been injured or worse… died, because Jerry would have carried that too, for the rest of his life.

He remembered the moment Joe had received the call that Danny's rental vehicle had gone up in flames, driver inside. They had all frozen in their little Van with the Technical Systems Company logo from where they were operating from. Jerry remembered his fingers freezing on the keyboard, rebelling from what he had been doing, his mind going blank. Detective Williams was dead? He was certainly not a part of this small group in the trailer because he was the one supposed to be coordinating with the few FBI and Homeland Agents they had managed trust. How was it that he had been blown up in that rental car? How had it happen? He shouldn't have never gone back alone, he should have stayed and…and…They had all gone into a full blown panic, one of them was dead because of this. They were all targets yes, but Danny was dead. God, Danny was dead! They had all just froze, trying but failing to process the shocking and painful information. Commander White had been the one to get everyone under control again, got them to focus. They could not let Danny die in vain, they would bring this rogue government syndicate down if that was the last thing they did. Jerry didn't know how he had managed to continue but he had, he may have been fired up by all that anger he felt at that moment and the only revenge he could take was to make sure these monsters went down. Then he'd think about Danny's kids and how they were going to break at the news of their father's death. He would finish this first and then think about the loss later. Another huge loss in his life and he had never imagined it would be like this, again. So he worked on exerting revenge and it had worked out better than they had anticipated. He wasn't about to feel sorry for the General being gunned down. The chaos that had followed after had left them all with a little bit of misgiving, but this wasn't child's play, the people they were playing against were sure not taking any prisoners. It was just fortunate that the whole Conference incident had minimal casualties, even more so, they were grateful that the President had survived. But Danny was dead, they were all still reeling from that blow, God Danny was dead!

Jerry remembered, with all the chaos that was going on at the time, the chaos they had caused, how it had felt at that moment to lose a brother in battle. He had never had that feeling before, had never been part of the battle before, and the feeling was unfathomable. He could not fully absorb the loss, he managed to keep it at bay until such a time when he could truly reflect and probably breakdown alone. He was pretty sure everyone in that little Van was feeling the same but forging ahead with the plan so that it wouldn't all be for nothing.

When Danny opened that door and walked into the Van with two Homeland Security Agents, everyone in the room froze and just stared, as if looking at a ghost.

 _Danny confused, "Don't worry guys, these are the Agents we've been working with all alone, the only ones I'm pretty sure are not dirty…"_

 _Jerry remembered just diving in at him and squeezing him in a bear hug, tears in his eyes._

 _"Whoa, buddy, I know you're smack in the middle of a real conspiracy here but…you really are that happy?" Danny said, in his usual snarky way._

 _"He's not the only one Danny. We thought you were dead." Joe said, and Danny had to wait with his next obvious question as he had to bear everyone else's hugs._

 _"Dead?" Was his next question._

 _"We received a call from the police, they said your rental vehicle had been bombed, no one survived." Joe said in concern and confusion._

 _"Oh, dear God!" Danny exclaimed in dismay and obvious distress._

 _"What happened Danny?" Lou asked curiously._

 _"I called the Rental Company to come pick up the vehicle from the hotel, I hitched a ride with these two," He said, indicating the two Agents, "for diversion. I guess it worked huh." He said bitterly. "I killed someone."_

 _"No, hey it wasn't your fault. It would have easily been you in that vehicle Danny, and forgive us but we can't help but be grateful that it wasn't." Tani said meaningfully._

 _Danny knew what they meant, but he still could not get over the feeling that he had caused someone's death, an innocent person. He didn't even know the name of the person who had unwittingly taken that bullet for him, whether it was a man or a woman, if they had any family, friends. He would make a point to learn who they were, see what he could do for the family, and send flowers to the grave, for what it was worth. But right now, they had some work to do, they still stood to lose so much more._

 _"Guy's, I hate to break up the pity party but there's someone else still in danger here, there are a lot of other Agents taking care of this chaos here now, we better move." Agent Sarah Challis said seriously, reading his mind._

 _"Yeah guys, Steve is still alone and in more danger now than ever, we better move fast." Danny said._

 _"I understand, but how are we even going to gain access to the CIA Head Quarters." Lou asked disbelievingly._

 _"We've got warrants, and DHS trumps CIA on matters of Homeland Security. Last I checked things couldn't get any more homeland than this." Agent Peter Reynolds said. With that the little van drove off, leaving a frenzy of activity in their wake. Off to rescue Steve, hoping he was still alive._

 _….._

Danny could still not believe that the whole team was intact, it was nothing short of a miracle. He breathed in deeply with relief as looked out of the window of the plane, reflecting too. It had been a rat race there, a real race against the clock with all kinds of obstacles, people trying to kill them just to stop them from getting to the finish line, but they had made it; just in the nick of time. And to actually have Steve here, alive, all right in the head and all, was an actual miracle. Of course he would not be all that right in the head given what he had been through, but they had come out of the worst and they will come out of whatever trauma Steve may have suffered too. Danny was optimistic, Steve was alive, the whole team was alive, that's all they needed for now and he'll take a moment to celebrate this win, then anything else would have to come later. Steve was still very quiet, not crazy person quiet or anything, he just wasn't as normal as he should be. Who would be, after going through what he had? It would take a lot of readjustment but he'll get back to his old self soon enough, Danny made a vow to make sure that Steve gets back into form. For now, his brother was here, that was enough. This mission's success had been a long time coming, it had taken a lot more twists and turns than they could have ever imagined but the plane ride back this time was reminiscent of all the other 'rescue Steve' missions they had been to, were they would always bring Steve home. This one had taken two freaking years but at last they had Steve back, alive. They had got their happy ending at last, it had been long overdue.

Danny remembered walking into the CIA Headquarters with his team and the two Homeland Agents.

 _The matter had been officially reported, everything was now all over the news and the other CIA Agents had no choice but to comply and react. Also, in light of all that had transpired at the Conference, the CIA had no reason to doubt them. They all walked into Steve's room at the infirmary and Danny could not forget the horrific scene before his eyes as he walked in. Steve was kneeling next to a body of a white coat dressed doctor on the floor who had a knife stuck in to his neck, blood was on Steve's hands and he looked like he was still trying to get his breath back. Dr Mayson was cowering at the far corner of the wall, eyes wide in utter shock. It must have just happened and Danny didn't know what to make of the whole scene. At first he thought Steve had acted in an actual schizophrenic, unstable mental state after all, but immediately that thought was brushed aside as he took full stock of the situation rationally. The dead man was no doctor, he was an assassin, Danny could see it clearly now, the shoes. They were late, had Steve not managed to overpower that assassin and stick a knife into his neck it would have been Steve lying on that floor. They would have found Steve dead, as had been intended._

 _Danny was so stuck in his thought process at that moment that he had not registered Steve's disbelieving eyes glued on him, until Steve lurched himself at him in a fierce hug. Ok, maybe Steve was obviously shocked about all that had happened here, like a child who had finally found safety after being so long in the dark._

 _"It's ok, you're ok now Steve. It's all over." Danny tried to reassure him, still caught in that tight grip. People were sure in a 'hug Danny' mood today, but he did understand it with Steve. The guy had been traumatized and this was his first real reaction as a sane, normal person._

 _"Thank God you're alive." Steve whispered._

 _"Me?" Danny asked curiously, looking up at Steve._

 _"He said he had killed you. Car bomb." Steve said_

 _Oh that, so that was the guy who had done it, Steve should have tortured him first before killing him. Danny was a little abashed at everyone's reaction to his near death. Yeah, he knew his friends cared, of course they cared, he just didn't think they needed him to be alive that badly. It was a pleasant feeling. A really nice revelation_

 _Then everyone who was seeing Steve for the first time since he had been presumed dead two years ago took turns to give him a long awaited hug, but the emotional moment could not last that long, the world was on fire._

Now they were on their way home, Danny will always remember all who had died in the line of this duty, involved or not, but it was time to put all that behind them and focus on the future. And thank God they had come out of this one alive, to live to fight another day. maybe now he could breathe easy for the first time in along time, he was sure everyone on this plane, everyone one of their Ohana was thinking and feeling the same.

…

 **See you in a bit.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19-

Look, I been through so much pain  
And it's hard to maintain, any smile on my face  
'Cause there's madness on my brain  
So I gotta make it back, but my home ain't on the map  
Gotta follow what I'm feeling to discover where it's at  
I need the (memory)  
In case this fate is forever, just to be sure these last days are better  
And if I have any (enemies)  
To give me the strength to look the devil in the face and make it home safe- Home

...

Danny knew that the ladies, Rachel , Grace, Mary and Renee had managed to put together a welcome home party for Steve. The team landed safely at Honolulu Airport, Kamekona was there to pick them up. Steve hugged the big man who had a shimmer of tears in his eyes.

"It's nice to see you brah. Thought you were never gonna eat my shrimp again." Kamekona said and Steve managed a smile.

"It's good to see you too Kame." Steve said

"You don't look like you ever went lolo up in the head either." Kame said with a big smile.

"He says he was faking Kame, although honestly, and I've been saying this ever since I met the guy, I don't really think you've ever been quite right in the head Steven." Danny said and everyone laughed.

"Give the guy a break Danny." The real surprise for Steve walked up to them after Kamekona. Chin Ho Kelly. Danny had called both him and Kono and they had been waiting here in Hawaii helping with Tech and keeping Five 0 functional. Danny figured Kono was at Steve's house helping with the party preparations. For the first time Steve actually smiled.

"Chin Ho Kelly." Steve said with a genuine smile.

"Steve McGarett. You my friend are a walking miracle, a sight for sour eyes." Chin said embracing Steve, a shimmer of tears in his own eyes. Then Chin hugged Danny next, then Lou and the others, getting introductions to Junior and Tani who hadn't met him yet.

After the cheerful embraces, they walked to their cars, dividing each other since they could not fit into one car. One vehicle was being driven by Kamekona and the other by Chin.

Danny, Steve and Joe got into Chin's car, which was actually Danny's Camaro and the others got into Kamekona's mini-bus, big enough to accommodate everyone. Danny had though Steve might want the feel of the familiar so he had asked Chin to pick them up in his Camaro.

"Wanna drive brah?" Chin asked Steve expectantly.

"Uh…my skills are a bit rusty these days Chin. Maybe next time." Steve declined.

"Oh? That has never stopped you before Steven. When has your driving skills never been rusty? Not car-sick anymore?" Danny said and Steve wacked him in the head, and strolled to the passenger side with a smirk on his face. Joe and Chin laughed while Danny complained about a certain Neanderthal ruining his hair. On the inside, Danny was smiling with relief. Steve was coping just fine, in fact Danny would dare say Steve was already on his way back to normal. They drove to Steve's house in happy chatter, catching up.

Steve took in the familiar feel of home, his Ohana, the feeling of being able to love again, the freedom of loving them again without the fear of it being used against him. He felt good, the easy chatter went on as he looked outside the window to take in the breath taking view of Hawaii again. The smell of the ocean, the very air he breathed smelt like home. He wasn't quite normal yet, not but a long shot, but his Ohana was making sure to keep things normal, Danny was wisecracking as usual making sure that he wasn't treated like a tourist attraction. It eased the burden and the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach of being accepted. Steve was grateful Danno knew him well.

"Everything else hasn't changed as far as I can see. Except for your wisecracker foul mouth Danno. Are you going soft on me buddy?" Steve joked.

"And here I'm bending over backwards trying to insult you." Danny said

"Oh, talk about rusty Danny, you're losing your touch." Joe said and Steve and Chin just laughed. It was the first time in a long time Steve had laughed.

It felt good, seeing all the familiar sights, the familiar streets and buildings, they passed Kamekona's shrimp truck and Steve made a note to come back for shrimp later. Everything filled him with a sense of nostalgia. Danny explained that Hector had taken over the shrimp truck while Kamekona took over the running to the Restaurant- Steve's. He was doing a great job of it. Danny promised to take him there later so he could see for himself how well their Restaurant was doing.

"You'll be happy to know you're part owner of one of the most successful restaurants on the Island. You've got to thank Kamekona for that, it was all him. I was never in the right mind to bother after… you know." Danny said with a shrug.

"I guess I have to fill in some papers that I'm back from the dead too, huh?" Steve said, trying for a lighter tone.

"No need. I never declared you dead. Not with the Restaurant at least. I never… I couldn't…" Danny's voice trailed off. There followed an awkward moment, Danny had not meant to bring on a heavy moment here but this whole thing still didn't feel real, he was afraid that he'd wake up and be back to the reality of the past two years, with Steve actually dead.

Steve understood, Danny didn't need to finish. They looked at each other then for a few long seconds, remembering how close they had come to not beeing here at this moment. The moment had become too heavy Steve cleared his throat and looked away back to his window, fighting back the familiar threatening tears. Danny looked outside his side of the window too, having a battle of his own with the tight invisible grip that had suddenly gotten hold of his throat.

Chin cleared his throat and tried to get back to the familiar easy mood. "I do hope you have the stamina for a screaming fan base Steve. Your Ohana is waiting for you."

Danny blinked away the shimmer of tears in his eyes and pulled himself back into form. "Oh, trust Chin Ho Kelly to ruin a perfectly good surprise."

"Come on Danny, just giving the man a heads up, we're almost there anyway. Just a moment to catch his breath." Chin said.

"Oh, you arranged a surprise party for me?" Steve asked in awe looking at Danny. "You really did miss me Danno."

"Oh, shut up you goofus."

They laughed, the atmosphere was right back in place again.

….

They drove into McGarret's driveway, a huge placard written 'Welcome home Uncle Steve!' hanging outside. Steve suddenly felt apprehensive about meeting everyone. Would he be different? Would he feel different? The first to storm out of the house at full speed, screaming and diving into him was Grace, she hung on to him and he held her tight. Oh, the feeling of being home.

"Uncle Steve." She murmured, not letting him go. He wasn't letting go either. Finally they let go and she looked up into his face, she had tears running down her cheeks.

"Uncle Steve." She whispered.

"Hey Gracie." He whispered too, holding her face in his two hands, wiping off the tears on her cheeks, not realizing his were wet too. He kissed her forehead, and hugged her again. By now the whole clan had come out of the house onto his front lanai.

Charlie barreled into him. "Uncle Steve!"

"Hey big guy." Steve said, taking him up into his arms. He had grown big and heavy, at least a little too heavy for his still frail state of health to hold him up for long. He kissed his face, held him a bit longer before putting him down.

Then Mary was standing in front of him, tears in her eyes. He just took her in his arms and held her tight while she spent herself crying on his shoulder, his sister, he had thought he would never hold her again. Then he took Joanni and held the little girl, kids sure grew fast. It was an overwhelming reunion, but one long overdue.

Then Kono followed; Oh, he had missed her, it had been a long time and it felt good that she had taken time to come see him too. They hugged and he took her two year old and held her briefly too. He hugged Rachel, then Abby, then Renee. Wow everyone had turned up. Duke, Eric, Deputy Dog, all his buddies, even Sang Min.

"Back from the dead again McGareett?" Sang man said.

"Oh, I could even hug you too Sang." Steve said with a smile.

"Well then bring it in. I'm not stingy, like you." Sang said giving Steve a one shoulder hug.

The reunion didn't bother him at all, in fact it was just what he had needed, to come home. This was home. The feeling settled on him as he sat on his lanai hours later, surrounded by friends and family, having beer while the others barbecued a little farther off. He even managed to smile and cracked some jokes of his own.

It was getting late and the party started thinning, finally it was just the Ohana left, clearing up and catching up some more. Rachel had taken the kids home to sleep, they had school tomorrow. He was sad to see Catherine go with her but he was relieved at the same time. Renee had done the same with Will, Lou promising to follow soon after.

Danny could notice Steve avoiding Catherine, at first he had thought maybe traumatic experience behavior, Steve was pretty much quite distant with most everybody except for Danny and Joe. Danny had noticed how Steve would always stick with him or Joe, almost like he was taking cover behind them or something. And unconsciously Danny and Joe had somehow swapped staying by Steve's side, making sure at least one of them would be with him at all times. They could feel how he tensed up whenever both of them left him, dependency syndrome maybe, since they were the first ones to see him after his release from the Chinese, the first people he could trust at that time. Having Steve's back meant that Danny had to almost always tell what he was feeling or thinking and he was starting to think that Steve's avoidance of Catherine had something to do with Lynn.

He broached the subject now with Catherine gone, meaning to make a light joke of it and throw these two together already. At least make Steve stop treating Cath like a disease, after all the work she had put into this. Bygones be bygones, Catherine had really come through for them, for Steve and she deserved better than this. Steve wasn't holding a grudge or anything against Catherine, he wasn't the type to hold grudges, besides, he still loved the woman. The only thing that Danny could think of was that maybe he was still holding on for Lynn, not wanting to betray her or whatever. This whole reunion, no one had even mentioned her name, which was unfair since she was after all Steve's last known girlfriend.

"You seem to be avoiding Catherine." Danny said. Now they were inside the house, relaxing on the couch.

"I'm not avoiding Catherine." Steve deadpanned with a blank face.

"Right. Hey buddy, I'm sorry to tell you this but Lynn, I'm pretty sure by now, is married to some Corporate dude in LA. Last I heard from Melisa she was engaged, unfortunately I haven't been able to get hold of her since. So, maybe that's enough of an annulment statement to give you the freedom to move on, or move back to familiar territory." Danny said.

Their conversation, though private, had drifted to the eager ears of those close by, which wasn't a big deal because they were Ohana and so it wasn't deliberately private, anyone could join in. They were now all in the living room, the close little circle eager to hear what Steve would say, typical of Danny not to skirt around the edges.

Steve didn't say anything for a long tense moment, then in a very low dead voice he said. "No, she's not married."

Danny thought he was in denial. Funny, Steve wasn't that much into Lynn when they parted to be that much in denial of the fact that she was married to some other dude.

"Sorry buddy, but…" Danny started to answer.

"She's dead."

Danny's breath caught, so did every one's in the room judging by how quiet it had become. Steve had said it so simply and so finally, like he was too sure of what he was saying. How would he know that when he had been locked up in a Chinese black-site for two years?

"Huh?" Danny asked, shocked and confused.

"She's dead. I killed her." With that delivered in that closed off cold statement, Steve stood up and walked steadily out of the room, going to his backyard, walking until his feet touched the water of the ocean. He stood there, shoulders rigid, unyielding.

Danny and the others were left dumb founded looking at each other. No one said anything, the looks on their faces written- WTF!

Danny looked at Joe and he nodded in silent agreement, Danny was the one to handle this, anyone else at this moment wouldn't do.

Danny walked out after Steve, he found him standing there looking at the ocean, hands in his cargo pants pockets, solid like a statue.

He approached cautiously and stood next to him, imitating his stance. They stood like that for a moment just looking at the ocean, not saying anything.

"Hey, do you mind telling me what that was about?" Danny asked gently.

Steve didn't want to, but he felt like if he didn't tell he would explode with it and Danny could always make him talk, he had that effect on him, the need to offload just about anything on him and feel lighter on the shoulders. If someone else had come Steve would probably manage to bottle it all up again.

"Steve? Talk to me." Danny pleaded.

"I…" Steve started but strength failed him and he set down on the sand, cross legged, head hung in disappear.

...


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Hey guys, here's another one, i hope you like.**

 **...**

 **You rest your eyes now, take my hand**  
 **Even heroes fall down now and then**  
 **You can let it go**

 **You don't have to be Superman**  
 **You don't have to hold the world in your hands**

 **you've already shown me that you can**

 **You don't have to be Superman- Rachel Platten**

 **...**

" _Huh?" Danny asked, shocked and confused._

 _"She's dead. I killed her." With that delivered in that closed off cold statement, Steve stood up and walked steadily out of the room, going to his backyard, walking until his feet touched the water of the ocean. He stood there, shoulders rigid, unyielding._

 _Danny and the others were left dumb founded looking at each other. No one said anything, the looks on their faces written- WTF!_

 _Danny looked at Joe and he nodded in silent agreement, Danny was the one to handle this, anyone else at this moment wouldn't do._

 _Danny walked out after Steve, he found him standing there looking at the ocean, hands in his cargo pants pockets, solid like a statue._

 _He approached cautiously and stood next to him, imitating his stance. They stood like that for a moment just looking at the ocean, not saying anything._

 _"Hey, do you mind telling me what that was about?" Danny asked gently._

 _Steve didn't want to, but he felt like if he didn't tell he would explode with it and Danny could always make him talk, he had that effect on him, the need to offload just about anything on him and feel lighter on the shoulders. If someone else had come Steve would probably manage to bottle it all up again._

 _"Steve? Talk to me." Danny pleaded._

 _"I…" Steve started but strength failed him and he set down on the sand, cross legged, head hung in disappear._

Danny sat down too next to him, looking at him anxiously. This was starting to feel like it wasn't an 'oh, I killed Lynn' joke, but how was that even possible? Steve had been caged by the Chinese for two years and Danny had talked to Lynn right after they came from China thinking Steve was dead, he had talked to her again three months after. That's when she had told him that she was getting married. The girl had been fast and Danny had felt like she had pissed on his best friend's memory, but truth be told, Steve and Lynn had never been the most romantic couple of the year. That said, that was no reason for her to die, and Steve sure as hell didn't kill her. Danny could stake his life on that, maybe Steve was hallucinating. Who said that mental breakdown was all fake anyway? Suffice to say, this whole situation was now scaring him, not just rationally concerning.

Danny put his hand on Steve's shoulder, "Steve?"

"I killed her Danny." Steve said in a small voice.

"No you didn't." Danny denied firmly. "Tell me what happened."

Steve heard the denial in Danny's voice, that shaky note that landed a tremor to his voice, Danny believed something, but he was pleading with him for it not to be true. "Tell me what happened Steve."

Steve's head dropped and tears started like a flood flowing silently down his cheeks. Good thing the night provided a camouflage, but Danny could tell he was crying. His shoulders were shacking with the effort to try and hold his sobs in.

"Steven, goddamit! Say something." Danny's voice was no longer steady, the trace of fear in it now more audible.

"They…I…" Steve tried to compose himself and took a deep breath. "When you guys came to get me, in China…."

"Wait, how do you know…did you…?"

"I knew. They saw you, but they drugged me and dragged me out of that bunker…"

"You were in that bunker? I knew it, I could swear I felt your presence there. I thought I was being sentimental, believing what I wanted to believe."

Steve sighed ruggedly, "Yeah, I had been there. They saw you, I heard them speak, they thought I was out of it. I heard them, one of them suggest to bring you in, torture you in front of me. The leader brushed it aside and suggested to watch you a bit more in case you were foes come to finish the job. But the idea was already there on the table and…so, that's when I became crazy. I swear to God, the idea of you being tortured while I watched…." Steve shook his head in denial as he imagined the horror. "that mental shutdown was not all fake. I could not…I couldn't…"

"I know." Danny said gently. "I know. What happened?"

"They let you guys go because they had nothing to use against me since I had gone catatonic and they didn't want to risk it for nothing in case you were not on my side. I breathed a sigh of relief but I maintained my cover. For five months I maintained it. Then I realized there was a mole here, in my own country, feeding them information, someone from home even more than the Chinese wanted to know what I knew very badly. So they came up with a plan in case I was faking, they found someone close to me to use against me."

"Steve." Danny said in despair, he was starting to get the picture. No, it wasn't going there, he denied in his mind.

"You know, people like me are not supposed to have anything...anyone…it's just…impossible."

"Steven what happened?"

"I had relaxed, thought I would get by maintaining my cover, they bought it, you know." Steve said, looking at Danny with such despair and barely controlled tears in his eyes. "Then one day the door to the small dungeon opened and I thought, maybe another beating or some food…but then they walked in dragging a body."

"Oh God." Danny said aghast, in comprehension.

"I froze, because the body was covered, I saw a woman's feet, she was now fidgeting and crying. They dumped her in front of me and uncovered her face. It was Lynn."

"Jeez Steven." Danny didn't want him to say anymore but still had to hear more. Oh God, what they had done to him was worse than hell.

"I maintained my zombie state, but I could see her, see her tears, and hear her cries, pleading to me."

Danny shook his own head, and pressed Steve's shoulder for strength, for comfort, encouraging him to go on.

"I hesitated, I thought, 'should i break cover? Then to what end? They would still kill her. And if I don't talk when I have already broken my cover, they would kill her and find someone else to kill in front of me until I talk. I thought, even if I talk, we'll both be executed afterwards, and I had something to do, I had…" Steve trailed off.

"Dear God!" Danny said in despair.

"So I… I maintained my cover…" Steve continued, "and they put a knife to her throat. She pleaded with me to save her, Danny. And I… I just sat there, staring at the wall while they sliced her throat clean and dropped her at my feet." Steve said with such self loathing and to Danny's horror.

Danny felt so much rage he wanted to kill every single one of them. He felt more rage than he had felt with Pete. This was something Steve was never going to get over. They had crippled him for life.

"It worked though, didn't it?" Steve said bitterly. "They bought my act."

Danny didn't know what to say, 'sorry' wouldn't cut it.

"And you know the worst thing?" Steve asked, his voice choking with tears.

 _There was a worst thing?_

"I was glad." Steve said, still with the self loathing.

"Steve don't do this to yourself..."

"I was glad Danny. When they too off that mask to reveal her face, God…Danny…I was…I was relieved."

Danny shook his head in vehement denial, his own face was already wet with his own tears at what Steve had suffered.

"I was glad to see it wasn't Mary, or Cath, or my mom. God Danny, what if…?"

"It wasn't your fault Steve…it wasn't…"

"When she crumbled at my feet with her throat sliced dripping red, her eyes fixed and staring at me, boy was I glad it wasn't you."

Danny couldn't take it anymore. He could not watch Steve go down this road of guilt for something that had been completely out of control. He knelt on the sand and took him into his arms and held him tight.

But Steve refused to yield. "If it had been you in there, would I have talked?"

"Stop. Steven stop this."

"I'm a monster Danny, get away from me. Keep your kids away from me. Keep everyone away from me." Steve tried to push away but Danny wouldn't let him go, he held on to him tight.

"I was glad." Steve finally broke into heart wrenching sobs, his whole body shaking. Danny held on to him, trying to absorb some of the pain, if only he could take even just a little bit. His own tears now flowing freely, he held him.

"I'm sorry." Steve said brokenly

"I got you. It's ok. You've got nothing to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could do. I got you brother." Danny whispered.

"I killed her. She was your friend too. I'm sorry I killed her."

"God, Steven. Stop this."

They held each other like that, crying. Those in the house could see them from the window, every moment until Steve finally broke. Tani watched like everyone else from the window. They were really by now shadows in the night, silhouettes. She glimpsed a new revelation of the bond between these two, as they cried with each other. It was fierce, intimate but not romantic. Like brothers. It broke her heart. But whatever it was, they would get through it together. She was sure of it.

...

 **I thought I saw the devil**  
 **This morning**  
 **Looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue**  
 **With the warning**  
 **To help me see myself clearer**  
 **I never meant to start a fire**  
 **I never meant to make you bleed**  
 **I'll be a better man today**

 **I'll be good, I'll be good**  
 **And I'll love the world, like I should**  
 **Yeah, I'll be good, I'll be good**  
 **For all of the time**  
 **That I never could- I'll be good**

Much later, more like hours later Steve finally found the strength to get up with Danny's encouragement, they walked back into the house. Everyone just made sure not to stare or say anything, pretending to busy themselves with other things. Steve was sure they had all witnessed his breakdown, he was just grateful they were not making a spectacle of him. He was sure he would not be able to handle the 'are you oks' that they were most likely ready to give but at Danny's almost subtle head shake to the negative kept them all at bay. Steve was grateful for that, he went straight upstairs, his legs wobbly, he was tired from all the crying, spent. He may have seemed shaky but Danny didn't help him up the stirs or anything, pretty sure he would want the decency of pretending that he was 'ok', Danny kept pace with him though, keeping a close eye. He was backup, as always.

He got to his bedroom and took a look around, just realizing that this was the first time he had been in this room since the day he received the call that their mission was a 'go' two years ago. When he came in today, he had suddenly been caught up with the hype of the reunion he never got the chance to come up and rest. He looked around the room wistfully, bed was neatly made, room was clean, someone had been keeping things neat, obviously. It would be Junior of course, since he was the one who lived here. Then a thought startled him, this may no-longer be his room, after all he had been dead for the past two years.

"Hey, is this still my room? I didn't think to ask…"

"It is your room Steve, no one has slept here since …you know…you died."

"Yeah, I died. Why hasn't anyone taken the room yet?"

"Well, there have been guests, I'm sure Junior put it to good use." Danny said.

"Yeah, a museum I gather."

"Don't you want your room or not? Or do you just want to be dead?" Danny said impatiently

"Sorry." Steve said, then sat on his bed tiredly.

"Look, I'm the one who's sorry." Danny said exasperatedly with a tinge of regret. "I shouldn't be short with you right now. I just…I really hate it when you say it so offhandedly how you were dead. It pisses me off."

"I know, I'm sorry…I just…" Steve sighed and dropped his head in his hands for a moment.

Danny sat on the chair across from him, and looked at him with concern now. "You ok? You want me to stay? I can sleep downstairs, I still like your couch." Danny said, the last a meaningful joke, he was really worried about him.

"No…it's fine, I'm good. Really. I'm just gonna take a shower and then get some sleep."

"You sure you can sleep?"

Steve didn't know when he last slept peacefully without a sedative, he didn't want to ask for one because he didn't want to worry his friend too much. "I uh…I'll try."

"You want something for it or…"

"No, I'm good. I've had enough of dugs."

"I'll have Mary and Junior check in on you…"

"No need. I'm good, I promise. If I need anything I'll call." Steve insisted.

"Alright then." Danny said getting up to leave. "Go get your shower and some sleep, ok? I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks Danno," Steve said meaningfully.

"No, thanks to you, for being alive." Danny said then walked to the door, with his hand on the handle he turned to say one last thing. "And Steven, you will never hear me say that you are anything but good. Whatever you have done or haven't done, you're a good person." Danny said, his eyes meaning it, then he opened the door and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Steve just looked after him for long minutes, at the closed door, pondering what he had said, wanting to believe it, but knowing better.

He got up and walked to the bathroom, for a moment he just stood there leaning against the wall, avoiding the mirror. It had been that long too since he had really looked in the mirror and he didn't want that right now. He didn't want what Danny had just said to be ruined by the person he would see in the mirror, the person he knew himself to be. And that person was anything but good.

Finally he went to the sink and washed his face. He leaned his hands on the basin and looked up at the mirror, really looked in the mirror. Horrors of all he had done, all he had been through came rushing back to him, like pictures on the mirror. No, he wasn't good. He saw Lynn's face on that mirror, her face streaked with tears, eyes pleading for him to save her, her throat dripping red; he blinked, his heart rate picking up pace. It wasn't a ghost, not really, but no ghost could haunt him any worse than his own mind right now. He saw all their faces, his comrades but most of all the one that persisted was Jack McCain's, and not just a weird rigamortis ashen blue like the others, no. Jack's had a peaceful serene smile as his head split in two from the bullet shot to his skull, in slow motion. Steve splashed water onto his face to try and wash the images away but when he looked back into the mirror they were still there.

He punched the mirror.

It seemed to work, he couldn't see them anymore, but more importantly he couldn't see his own face anymore, he never wanted to see his face in the mirror again. And he didn't mind the cracks in he mirror, some broken glass on the floor or the blood now dripping from the mirror from his wounded fist, he didn't feel the pain. What he minded was that maybe he had made a noise from punching the mirror, it couldn't carry downstairs from his bathroom but with all eyes and ears monitoring him he couldn't be too sure.

 _"You'll never hear me say you're anything but good. You're a good person Steve_." He could hear Danny's persistent voice, but he was too far gone.

He couldn't stay here, he could not be a part of this family anymore. Not until he had found absolution for what he had done, which he never could. He knew what he had to do, and he had to do it now. He was already a monster, why not just own it? They were here for him, happy for him, they loved him but he was not the same. He had to do this, it would be little justice for what he had done but at least it would be justice. He was going to break their hearts again, he knew that. Mary will be hurt and alone again, she was unfortunate to be born in a family such as theirs, people always left but sometimes they had to leave, it was for the best, he got it now. And the more permanent the better. Danny would kill him himself if he could. Well, he hoped to save him the trouble.

 **I found no cure for the loneliness**  
 **I found no cure for the sickness**  
 **Nothing here feels like home**  
 **Crowded streets, but I'm all alone (someone take me)**

 **Now tell me, how did all my dreams turn to nightmares?**  
 **How did I lose it when I was right there?**  
 **Now I'm so far that it feels like it's all gone to pieces**  
 **Tell me why the world never fights fair**  
 **I'm trying to find**

 **Home**

….

 **Hope to hear from you, see you in a bit.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21-Endings**

 **Hey guys, here's another chapter, i hope you like. Cheers!**

 **Not sure if this is finale or if there can be one more chapter, what do you think? If it is the finale then my salute guys for the support, thanks lots.**

 **...**

 **My past has tasted bitter**  
 **For years now**  
 **So I wield an iron fist**  
 **Grace is just weakness**  
 **Or so I've been told**  
 **I've been cold, I've been merciless**  
 **But the blood on my hands scares me to death**  
 **Maybe I'm waking up today**

To say he had had a fitful sleep was an understatement, he just could not manage to turn off the turmoil in his head and let his mind relax in blissful sleep. What Steve had told him was beyond disturbing. How could he sleep? How could Steve ever sleep? He was really worried about him, didn't have a clue how to help him through this. His phone ringing at that moment brought his mind back from it's chaotic state into focus, the unholy hour of the phone call alone sending him into a panic. The phone, now in his hand, kept ringing but he just stared at it in apprehension. It was 4am, the caller ID on the screen made him dread to answer the call. Then finally he answered.

"Danny." The panicked voice on the other end said.

"Mary, what's wrong?"

"It's Steve…"

He knew it had something to do with Steve the moment that phone rang, he knew it wouldn't be something good and his heart clinched in fear. Mary was crying, talk about emphasis!

"Mary, what happened? What's wrong with Steve?" Danny said that already getting up, Rachel was now awake too, looking up at him curiously.

"He's…he's gone Danny. He's not in his room." Mary said, between sobs.

Somehow, as scary as that was Danny breathed a sigh of relief. He really expected her to say Steve was lying on the floor dead or something, something to do with blood. Steve was not in the right state of mind, Danny knew that more than anyone. He was the only one Steve had told about what had really happened, and yeah, Danny wouldn't put it past the guy to try and end it somehow. This was bad but it wasn't the worst case scenario. They'll find Steve, and then they'll talk to him, send him to a shrink, anything, just as long as he was still breathing, they could deal with this.

"Mary, just stay put, I'll be right there, ok? It's gonna be ok. He couldn't have gone far. Maybe he just went out to clear his head or something, maybe he couldn't sleep, you now."

"I looked everywhere, Danny he's gone…and he broke the mirror, there's blood on it…"

"No, don't think that way, we'll find him, ok Mary? I'm coming there right now." He cut the phone, getting ready to go.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked

"Steve's gone. I gotta go find him. Damn it Steven when I find him I'm going to…" He really didn't know, the appropriate word here was 'if', if he found Steve. After saying goodbye to Rachel he made his way to the guest room and knocked.

"Cath, Steve's gone." He said and didn't wait for a reply, Catherine was right behind him, he knew that.

Ten minutes later they were standing in Steve's house, wondering as everyone else what had happened with Steve. Everyone was worried, the 'oh maybe he'll come back', could not cut it anymore, they were freaking out.

"He'll comeback, he may have just stepped out to clear his head." Joe tried, though doubtfully.

"No, you don't understand, Steve is not in the right state of mind right now." Danny said, that being an understatement of the century, he mumbled to himself

"Hell, we all know that. He's been through a lot…" Chin said

"No, you don't understand. Steve is a danger to himself right now. We have to find him." Danny said with emphasis.

"What did he say to you last night Danny? I know you want to keep his confidence but maybe that can clue us in on what's happening with him." Chin said earnestly.

Danny didn't want to say it but Chin was right, there might be a clue there about Steve's whereabouts and his state of mind.

"Yeah, what did he mean about killing Lynn yesterday? Did he…?" Lou asked.

"No. Of course not! Steve would never…." Danny started to defend.

"So, what did he mean? Was he hallucinating…?" Chin asked curiously.

"They killed her Chin. They killed Lynn in front of him, while he watched. They did it to make him talk, and he couldn't do anything about it. You've gotta know how responsible he must feel about that." Danny said.

"Oh God."

"Oh no."

The gasps in the room went quiet as they all tried to think deeply about what to do now, how to find Steve.

…..

Steve had one thing and one thing only on his mind, he could not let anything get in the way. He made his way to that familiar road, that familiar jungle, knowing exactly where his targets would be. He was not about to take any prisoners. He stealthily made his way to the first guard, sliced his throat, then the next and then the next until he was face to face with the leader, the one who had sliced Lynn's throat while he watched. He was a Chinese trained assassin alright, but that didn't make a difference to someone who had a score to settle, especially if that someone didn't care if he died in the process. And Steve was looking to die, but not before he had every single one of these bastards in the ground. Whoever was to take him out afterwards would actually have his gratitude. Steve tangled a bit with the leader, exchanging punch for punch but finally had him pinned down. Steve looked him straight in the eye and put the edge of his knife against his throat. The momentary registration of fear and defeat in those eyes was satisfying enough for Steve as he looked at him longer making sure he had his face ingrained in the assassin's brain.

"This is for Lynn, you bastard. This is for everything you did to me and everything you made me do. I want you to remember my face in hell." Steve snarled before slicing the assassin's throat. He would have wanted to look for Lynn's body, give closure to her parents and family but he knew the Chinese always dumped their bodies in the Sea, she most probably was at the bottom of the sea with his comrades right now. He felt like a savage, inhuman, he couldn't go back. He walked to the Sea and sat a while on the shore,dejected, brooding. It had all started here, in this Sea. He couldn't decide if he should go back or just take a swim in the ocean and sink down like the rest of his SEAL buddies. He probably belonged there, and now that he had finished taking revenge, his job was done, he had no reason to live anymore. He was a danger to his loved ones, he could not go back.

 _"You'll never hear me say that you, the real you, are anything but good.'_

Well, this was the real him, and he didn't belong in a normal society anymore. Wouldn't it be better if he just ended it here? People get close to him and they die, he was poison. And he was so sick of contaminating the lives of the people he was supposed to protect. And how could they love him knowing what he had done? Who would ever love him when he couldn't even love himself? He sat there thinking for a long time until he was fully convinced that this was the only way, the better way. He would just swim into the sea deep enough and then maybe get his gun to help him a little.

That's how his team found him, about to get up from that sand to walk into the Sea, having convinced himself that he was better off dead. The Sea was beckoning and he was he could hear its cries louder now. First he saw Joe walking briskly towards him then Danny, Chin, Lou, Junior, Kono, Tani and Catherine. They had followed him here. How the hell did they know where to find him? They had risked their necks again as if he mattered. He shouldn't matter, they had no idea what he had become, what he had done. He could not go back.

Catherine watched as Joe and Danny approached fist. She kept her distance, heart in her throat at seeing the man she loved hanging on the edge of death like that. How completely dark and alone he must feel. How dirty and savage. It hurt to see him go through this.

"Steve!" Danny yelled.

"Son, what are you doing here?" Are you ok?" Joe asked tentatively, he was now standing in front of him.

"How did you find me Joe? What are guys doing here?" Steve asked in dismay.

"What do you mean what are we doing here? Following after your crazy suicidal ass is what we're doing here!" Alright, Danny was angry. He was downright pissed he could strangle Steve right now. Steve knew they would be pissed, but then again he had never planned on them finding him alive, or finding him at all, for that matter.

"What the hell are you doing here Steven? Didn't we talk about this?" Danny continued, in his face.

"No amount of talking is going to make this right, Danny." Steve said.

"And killing yourself will?"

"Danny, ease up…" Chin said, trying to be careful about the whole situation. Steve was suicidal and at his lowest, Danny was hurt and angry, the situation could escalate and tip whichever way. It had to be handled with kid's gloves.

"I wasn't going to…" Steve tried to defend his actions.

"Oh yeah? Coming here in a blaze of fire, taking every one of those assassins by yourself , hoping that one of the bullets would catch you in the head, am I about right in my summation so far?" Danny yelled.

Steve just looked down, didn't say anything. He could see how much pain he had caused by doing this and for that he felt ashamed.

"That's a really selfish thing to do Steven, you get that right? By God, I could just about kill you myself right now." Danny continued in his tirade.

"Hey, Danny calm down." Chin said again.

"No, he's right… he's right and I'm sorry." Steve finally relented, he could see what he had been about to do was going to hurt the people who loved him. He was not the only one with people to lose, they stood to lose too. They would lose him. As much as it would pain him to lose them, he had to know it would hurt them to lose him too. He realized that now. It was unfortunate but he had people who counted him as someone worthy and it was selfish of him to just want to end his own suffering knowing that his lose would make the people who cared about him suffer more, sometimes you live for others as much as you live for yourself.

"And now you were thinking of throwing yourself into the ocean and blowing your head up, tell me that's not true?" Danny said bitterly.

"Easy Danny…." Chin cautioned again.

"No, no Chin, he's gotta get this. You don't just live for yourself anymore Steve. You don't just chose to die whenever you damn well feel like it!"

"Danny come on…" Lou said.

"No, no he's actually right. And I wish you could all just let me do it, I don't belong with you…just stop giving a damn, I'm not worth it." Steve said.

Kono was standing a bit apart with Catherine and she winced hearing Steve say such words, at the same time watching Danny's face. "Danny will not make a very good Therapist." She whispered to Cath.

"Oh, he'll probably save some but I think he'll drive most of his patients to kill themselves." Catherine said.

"He'd probably help too, maybe supply the ideal weapon. He calls it tough love." Kono said. "Steve probably needs that right now, somebody should knock his teeth out to show him we love him, he doesn't seem to be all that comprehensive of normal gentle love. I'm so angry with him." Kono said.

"I'm not worth it, I'm not worth it he says.", Danny was pacing now,hands flapping "hold me back Chin or I'm gonna blow his brains out myself. Do you think it's a damned fossett that you can just turn off, Steven? What the hell is the matter with you? Look at all the people here for you, you want to break every one of these hearts by dying? By saying they don't love you enough. Do we not love you enough? Is that it? Do you have any idea what we went through when you were dead for two fucking years Steven?! And now you just wanna….how can you think so little of yourself?"

"I second that Steve, I mean how could you think of doing such a thing, you have so many people who love you. You are worth it, so much more." Said Chin earnestly.

Steve looked at every one of their faces and saw how hurt they were about what he had planned to do, he saw how he would have hurt them even more. He felt relieved, almost absolved. He may have to live with everything he had done, but he won't be able to live with the pain he may cause them if he were to take the action he had been prepared to take. He didn't care much what happened to him, he cared a lot what would happen to them were he to die, he could see it in their faces. Joe looked sad, Catherine stood a bit far off looking at him with such heartbreaking sadness he could not look at her, the others looked genuinely concerned. But Danny's face was red with anger, Steve knew what lurked beneath that extreme fury was the fear of losing him. Everyone else had these pathetic pleading looks, trading carefully with him in case he decided to just run into the Sea after all. He hated that he had done this to them, to make them plead with him like this. That's not what he had wanted or set out to do, to be more trouble to his Ohana. He had just wanted for it all to just be over, he had not really thought much about them. The only one not pleading was Danny, busy seething with anger he might just throw him into the Sea himself, But Steve knew if it came to it, Danny would sooner beg and sacrifice his own life to save his. Frankly, Steve didn't know why they would care so much, if they knew what he really was they would not… well, Danny was still here even after he had revealed his deepest darkest secrets, he had still followed him here to take him back, to be near his children. They didn't understand, but maybe he was the one who didn't understand. It wasn't like a fossett you could just turn off whenever. Steve knew that somehow if any of them were to ever take a step like this in their despair he would be the most understanding of counselors, kid's gloves and everything. But somehow if Danny were to ever try it he would very much want to kill him too. He'd be outraged and hurt, so he did understand what Danny was feeling right now. No brother should try and leave the other willingly, it was unfair and selfish. He knew that, he'd always known that, but the darkness had been so dense and heavy it weighed down on him, completely engulfing him he didn't have the strength to fight it anymore, so he had himself become darkness and he didn't think he could be saved. He had been wrong, he could see the light in all of them, in their love and acceptance of him. They were his light and if he hung on to them they might just pull him out of this darkness, if he let them. Again he was being thrown a rope, a new beginning, he would be a fool not to grab it. Fine then, they would be getting a raw deal but if they wanted him back so bad then he'll go with them. He may never get redemption or absolution but he'll try and work towards it, starting by stopping being an ass to his family by making them worry and beg.

He stood up, "Ok, let's go." He said and sighed heavily, a weight lifting off his shoulders.

"Son of a bitch!" Danny cussed with a combination of relief and annoyance beyond belief. "Stupid ass, you really think you had any choice in it? I'd have never let you." Danny said, knowing fully well that it was pure providence that they had found Steve in time again this time. If Steve decided to do this again Danny may not have any say in it. But in the meantime he was going to watch him like a hawk. "Son of a bitch!" Danny cussed again, walking away, still very much pissed but relieved at the same time.

"I'm sorry, ok?" Steve said after him.

Danny spun on his heel, "Sorry won't cut it this time Steven. You've got to promise me you'll never try something like this again." Danny looked at him earnestly now, daring him to say otherwise.

Steve looked honestly into his eyes. "I'm not there yet bro."

"Son of a bitch!"

"But I'm working towards it. I'll try my best." Steve said honestly.

"Then promise me if you ever feel dark, if you feel like taking a bullet, you come to me first. Alright? You talk to me before you hightail it to China to get yourself killed."

"Ok, I promise I'll talk to you first."

"Or someone."

"Or someone."

"Good." Danny said a few more choice cuss words again before walking away ahead of everyone else, wondering when he will ever really have any peace of mind with Steve in this kind of expendable mindset. At this rate it was a wonder he hadn't developed an ulcer yet.

Joe and the others walked on too, giving Catherine a private moment with Steve.

"Catherine." Steve was ashamed to look at her, he had been ashamed since the moment he killed Lynn. "I'm surprised to see you here still. Aren't you supposed to be going back to work?" Steve asked.

"I quit." She said easily.

"You quit the CIA? How does that happen?" Steve asked, attempting a joke.

"When your boss is corrupt and maybe involved in espionage which you can't really prove but can raise enough doubt, you can leverage your way out." Catherine said.

"Smart girl." Steve said, already he felt better, a little but yeah, better.

"Thanks. Steve, I just want to assure you that I'm here if you need me and I'm willing to stay, if you want me to. I know it's a bit soon but…more than anything I'm your friend." She shrugged.

Steve did not want to be deliberately dense about what she was saying here, he knew what she was saying, but again he wasn't there yet. He looked earnestly into her eyes and he could see that she was telling the truth. He would have to tell her about Lynn first though, before he could even hope that she would want to stick it out with such a monster as he.

"I killed Lynn." He blurted out.

"I know, Danny told me what happened. And you didn't kill her, they did." Catherine said.

"Semantics really." Steve said in self-deprecation.

"No, not semantics, you could never have killed her and would never had allowed it had you had any choice in the matter. I know who you are, I know the man you are and you're anything but a monster." She said in earnest.

Well, she should see what he had done to those assassins then she can come back and tell him again that he was no monster. But like he promised Danny, he'd give this a chance and try to see himself through their rose colored glasses. He looked into Catherine's eyes and he could see all the love she had for him in there and was humbled by it.

"I'm about 90 percent crap, Catherine" He said to her with all honesty.

"I don't feel any better either. Why don't we just be crappy together, and work ourselves out of it little by little." She said.

He didn't know if that was enough or if that was going to work but he was so tired of running and fighting, if he wasn't going to die then he might as well try his hand at living. Besides, he better not try and kill himself again or Danny would really kill him this time. He'd follow him to hell just to do that. "Sounds like a plan." He said to Cath and smiled at her. He will get absolution, he will be good and he had people who would go to hell and back for him. Why they would still bother was such a mystery to him but he will take it like a breath of fresh air. Start from one stone and build up. Maybe he was due a life after all. The light was getting brighter and brighter by the minute, and he wanted to walk towards it. It would be great to leave the darkness and it's shadows and just stand in the light.

 **For all of the light that I shut out**  
 **For all of the innocent things that I doubt**  
 **For all of the bruises I've caused and the tears**  
 **For all of the things that I've done all these years**  
 **And all**  
 **Yeah, for all of the sparks that I stomped out**  
 **For all of the perfect things that I doubt**

 **I'll be good, I'll be good,**

 **...**

 **Not sure if this is finale or if there can be one more chapter, what do you think?**


	22. Chapter 22

An International Incident chapter 22

Hey guys, chapter was posting in a wrong format, i hope its fixed now, sorry.

Hope you like, sequel with Steve back to normal having trouble planing a surprise birthday for Danno following up. thanks for the reviews.

...

It had been a year now, Steve was back at work and the 5-0 team was doing better than ever. Danny still looked for tale tell sign of Steve's PTSD but it seemed to have faded, of course there will always be things he will never forget, things he could never get over but he had learned to live above them, and forge through life like the Navy SEAL he was. Of course there had been countless sessions of therapy, it didn't much help because most of the things, he could not talk about, they were classified but in spite of all he had made tremendous progress. His team had received him back with the same familiarity he was used to though now and again some would treat him with care, he could sense that. Danny would not make any secret of it, whenever he found Steve to be acting what he would call odd or quiet in a weird way he would not hesitate to point it out. He was adept at reading him even better than before, and he would make him talk and vanquish whatever darkness at that time. He had made progress and he was glad to be back with his Ohana the way it had always been, even better now Danny and Rachel had remarried and lived together now as a family, they would still fight but as any old married couple, they understood each other better now and Danny was indeed a much better version of himself now. Danno still ranting but happier than he had ever been before. The loss of his family had always been like an ache he had to adjust to but now Steve got to see the real Danno as he had been in Jersey before his divorce and Danny would always say that he was an even better version because he didn't have to deal with Steve being dead anymore, it had been like another limb missing even with his family back. Now that all was in order and Danny felt like he had it all now. Steve was only glad to be part of that family.

The one thing that had him nervous and unsure was Catherine ,she was back in his life but he wasn't sure if he should let his guard down and accept the love that she was offering him, always afraid she would disappear again, he wasn't sure if that wouldn't break him. So, he had played it safe but she was always there, ever loyal, ever loving, but then she had always been like that until she left, so he was cautious. But Catherine had resigned from the CIA like she promised and reenlisted in the Navy with the condition that she be stationed at the Honolulu Base. She seemed content with that, her usual fire to go and save the world was now focused on saving Steve. She had not wanted to join 5-0 because she had always said this was Steve's thing, she wanted her own thing, that was one other reason she had up and joined the CIA in the first place. Now she just wanted to give him his space as he began his journey to recovery. They had progressed from friendship naturally and now Cath had moved back home, just like before. Steve was beyond happy about that but still expected her to leave, sort of slept with one eye open. But as the time passed and now it was a year since that time he could not continue to wait any longer in fear, he had to take the plunge. Seeing Danny so happily reunited with Rachel, wearing his ring again, looking at it now and then with a smile he knew he could not just stand aside in fear anymore. Cath had done everything to show him she loved him, she had stayed, and whenever she was deployed somewhere she would always come back. In this past year she had proved that to him. And he had never denied that he loved her, that she was the only woman he truly loved, and that made him nervous now as he sat in his truck looking at her laughing and eating shave ice with his Ohana outside Kamakona's shrimp truck.

Would she say 'yes', would she say 'no, lets continue the way we are- because I'm planning on leaving'? Would she…?

He was startled when his passenger door was suddenly opened and Danny got in beside him.

"What, you've been parked out here for quite some time, we are now on the third shave ice. What's the hold up?" Danny asked, looking skeptically at him. "Not thinking of aborting the op are you?" He said looking at the ring in Steve's hand.

"No, just…I don't know, what if…what if she says…?"

"What if she says no?" Danny asked and proceeded to study Catherine too from the car as Steve was doing. "Not a chance." Danny said convinced.

"No?"

"No way, that lady loves you Steve. Yeah she has run many a time but I think this time even you have noticed she doesn't seem to be ready to go anywhere else."

"She might leave, you know Cath is much like my mom, she…"

"I think she has found a permanent place to stay here, I think she has found home, she isn't going anywhere. And if ever the CIA comes calling we'll be there to defend her."

"Or she might just fake her own death and …"

"No way, Cath won't do that, I'm sure of it, she will not do that to you. She won't leave you willingly, you just have to make her sure of how you feel. I know you have an inherent habit of protecting yourself but I'm telling you, this time just let your guard down and you won't regret it." Danny said with conviction and Steve snorted at that but continued studying Catherine from the car. He had had this ring for close to a month now but finally Danny had managed to get this little get together so that Steve could make his grand gesture, he wasn't going to bail again this time.

"Ok then, here goes nothing." Steve said with a nervous sigh.

Danny clapped his hands, "Great buddy. Besides I wouldn't let you postponed my opportunity to be best man at your wedding." Danny got out of the car. "Just give me a minute, I have to rejoin the team and pretend like I don't know anything, also I have to give Kame the signal."

Once Danny had rejoined the group Steve got the courage to get out of the car and walk towards the group.

Cath was busy chatting with Tani when Danny made his way back from his car where he had gone to 'grab something', he didn't say what. They were waiting for Steve to join them any minute. For Cath, this was one of their usual hangout especially with her friends, she was unaware of anything except that Steve was being a little late than usual. He had said he was running some important errand.

Danny made some sort of gesture to Kamekona and then Tani screamed, nudging Cath to look up. There was a huge placard floating with a balloon in the air written, "Will you marry me Catherine.'

She screamed too and covered her mouth with her hand, in complete shock, her heart thudding.

Tani nudged her again and she looked only to see Steve strolling towards her, all dressed up in a tux and all, looking like James Bond, only better, like that time he had surprised her for Dinner. She could only stare at him as he made his way to her. Cheers and yells were going on but she could hardly pay attention to it, all her focus on Steve.

Steve knelt before her, a ring box in hand, opened.

"Miss Catherine Rollins, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? You complete me and I simply can't imagine living this life without you."

Catherine felt drops of tears falling from her cheeks onto her summer flower dress, she had not realized she had been crying.

She could not speak, all she could do was nod vehemently but that was good enough for Steve, he slipped the shiny diamond ring on her finger to everyone's cheers and hoots. He stood up and lifted Cath from the bench into his arms, carrying her away to the car like that last time he had surprised her.

Once in the car she kissed him and told him "yes, with all my heart and forever."

And Steve's world was flooded with light, the darkness forever vanquished.

….


	23. Chapter 23

**An International Incident chapter 22**

 **Hey guys, chapter was posting in a wrong format, i hope its fixed now, sorry.**

 **Hope you like, sequel with Steve back to normal having trouble planing a surprise birthday for Danno following up. thanks for the reviews.**

 **...**

It had been a year now, Steve was back at work and the 5-0 team was doing better than ever. Danny still looked for tale tell sign of Steve's PTSD but it seemed to have faded, of course there will always be things he will never forget, things he could never get over but he had learned to live above them, and forge through life like the Navy SEAL he was. Of course there had been countless sessions of therapy, it didn't much help because most of the things, he could not talk about, they were classified but in spite of all he had made tremendous progress. His team had received him back with the same familiarity he was used to though now and again some would treat him with care, he could sense that. Danny would not make any secret of it, whenever he found Steve to be acting what he would call odd or quiet in a weird way he would not hesitate to point it out. He was adept at reading him even better than before, and he would make him talk and vanquish whatever darkness at that time. He had made progress and he was glad to be back with his Ohana the way it had always been, even better now Danny and Rachel had remarried and lived together now as a family, they would still fight but as any old married couple, they understood each other better now and Danny was indeed a much better version of himself now. Danno still ranting but happier than he had ever been before. The loss of his family had always been like an ache he had to adjust to but now Steve got to see the real Danno as he had been in Jersey before his divorce and Danny would always say that he was an even better version because he didn't have to deal with Steve being dead anymore, it had been like another limb missing even with his family back. Now that all was in order and Danny felt like he had it all now. Steve was only glad to be part of that family.

The one thing that had him nervous and unsure was Catherine ,she was back in his life but he wasn't sure if he should let his guard down and accept the love that she was offering him, always afraid she would disappear again, he wasn't sure if that wouldn't break him. So, he had played it safe but she was always there, ever loyal, ever loving, but then she had always been like that until she left, so he was cautious. But Catherine had resigned from the CIA like she promised and reenlisted in the Navy with the condition that she be stationed at the Honolulu Base. She seemed content with that, her usual fire to go and save the world was now focused on saving Steve. She had not wanted to join 5-0 because she had always said this was Steve's thing, she wanted her own thing, that was one other reason she had up and joined the CIA in the first place. Now she just wanted to give him his space as he began his journey to recovery. They had progressed from friendship naturally and now Cath had moved back home, just like before. Steve was beyond happy about that but still expected her to leave, sort of slept with one eye open. But as the time passed and now it was a year since that time he could not continue to wait any longer in fear, he had to take the plunge. Seeing Danny so happily reunited with Rachel, wearing his ring again, looking at it now and then with a smile he knew he could not just stand aside in fear anymore. Cath had done everything to show him she loved him, she had stayed, and whenever she was deployed somewhere she would always come back. In this past year she had proved that to him. And he had never denied that he loved her, that she was the only woman he truly loved, and that made him nervous now as he sat in his truck looking at her laughing and eating shave ice with his Ohana outside Kamakona's shrimp truck.

Would she say 'yes', would she say 'no, lets continue the way we are- because I'm planning on leaving'? Would she…?

He was startled when his passenger door was suddenly opened and Danny got in beside him.

"What, you've been parked out here for quite some time, we are now on the third shave ice. What's the hold up?" Danny asked, looking skeptically at him. "Not thinking of aborting the op are you?" He said looking at the ring in Steve's hand.

"No, just…I don't know, what if…what if she says…?"

"What if she says no?" Danny asked and proceeded to study Catherine too from the car as Steve was doing. "Not a chance." Danny said convinced.

"No?"

"No way, that lady loves you Steve. Yeah she has run many a time but I think this time even you have noticed she doesn't seem to be ready to go anywhere else."

"She might leave, you know Cath is much like my mom, she…"

"I think she has found a permanent place to stay here, I think she has found home, she isn't going anywhere. And if ever the CIA comes calling we'll be there to defend her."

"Or she might just fake her own death and …"

"No way, Cath won't do that, I'm sure of it, she will not do that to you. She won't leave you willingly, you just have to make her sure of how you feel. I know you have an inherent habit of protecting yourself but I'm telling you, this time just let your guard down and you won't regret it." Danny said with conviction and Steve snorted at that but continued studying Catherine from the car. He had had this ring for close to a month now but finally Danny had managed to get this little get together so that Steve could make his grand gesture, he wasn't going to bail again this time.

"Ok then, here goes nothing." Steve said with a nervous sigh.

Danny clapped his hands, "Great buddy. Besides I wouldn't let you postponed my opportunity to be best man at your wedding." Danny got out of the car. "Just give me a minute, I have to rejoin the team and pretend like I don't know anything, also I have to give Kame the signal."

Once Danny had rejoined the group Steve got the courage to get out of the car and walk towards the group.

Cath was busy chatting with Tani when Danny made his way back from his car where he had gone to 'grab something', he didn't say what. They were waiting for Steve to join them any minute. For Cath, this was one of their usual hangout especially with her friends, she was unaware of anything except that Steve was being a little late than usual. He had said he was running some important errand.

Danny made some sort of gesture to Kamekona and then Tani screamed, nudging Cath to look up. There was a huge placard floating with a balloon in the air written, "Will you marry me Catherine.'

She screamed too and covered her mouth with her hand, in complete shock, her heart thudding.

Tani nudged her again and she looked only to see Steve strolling towards her, all dressed up in a tux and all, looking like James Bond, only better, like that time he had surprised her for Dinner. She could only stare at him as he made his way to her. Cheers and yells were going on but she could hardly pay attention to it, all her focus on Steve.

Steve knelt before her, a ring box in hand, opened.

"Miss Catherine Rollins, will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? You complete me and I simply can't imagine living this life without you."

Catherine felt drops of tears falling from her cheeks onto her summer flower dress, she had not realized she had been crying.

She could not speak, all she could do was nod vehemently but that was good enough for Steve, he slipped the shiny diamond ring on her finger to everyone's cheers and hoots. He stood up and lifted Cath from the bench into his arms, carrying her away to the car like that last time he had surprised her.

Once in the car she kissed him and told him "yes, with all my heart and forever."

And Steve's world was flooded with light, the darkness forever vanquished


End file.
